U.S. Media Says Galaxy S27 Ultra Price May Rise, Raising Prospect of a 2 Million Won Price Tag [IT Item of the Day]

[Financial News] A U.S. media outlet has forecast that the price of the Ultra model, the top-end version in Samsung Electronics' next flagship Galaxy S27 series, will rise sharply. It predicted that the U.S. launch price could increase by about $200, or roughly 277,000 won, from the previous model.
According to overseas IT outlet SemiGuro on the 26th, the Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in four versions: standard, Plus, Pro and Ultra.
In the U.S. market, the launch prices are projected to be $899 for the 256GB standard model, $1,099 for the Plus, $1,299 for the Pro and $1,499 for the Ultra. That would translate to about 1.24 million won, 1.52 million won, 1.8 million won and 2.07 million won, respectively.
The standard and Plus models are expected to keep the same prices as the previous generation, but the Ultra is likely to cost $200 more. The newly added Pro model is also expected to debut at $1,299.
The increase is being attributed to steep price hikes in key smartphone components such as DRAM and NAND flash memory. Even as concerns grow over weakening demand, Samsung may have little choice but to raise prices to offset rising costs.
Still, margins are not expected to be high because memory prices have risen so sharply. According to Counterpoint Research, memory accounted for about 14% of the manufacturing cost of an $800 smartphone in the first quarter of last year, but that share has expanded to 40%.
These are U.S. launch price estimates, but domestic prices are also likely to rise.
In fact, Samsung Electronics' new Galaxy Z8 foldable phone series, released this month, saw a significant price increase from the previous generation. In Korea, the launch prices for the Galaxy Z8 series rose by between 198,000 won and 518,100 won depending on the model.
Earlier in March, Samsung raised the launch prices of the Galaxy S series for the first time in four years. Then in April, it increased the prices of the 512GB versions of the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Flip7 by 94,600 won each. It was the first time in about four years that Samsung Electronics adjusted product prices upward within a year of launch, since the Galaxy Tab S8 series in 2022.


[email protected] Jang Min-kwon Reporter