"I Should Have Bought It Yesterday—It Went Up 270,000 Won in Just One Day"... Samsung Phone Prices Surprise Consumers as Memory Costs Soar
- Input
- 2026-10-02 11:07:14
- Updated
- 2026-10-02 11:07:14
[Financial News] Official prices for Samsung Electronics' flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 series rose across the board effective October 1 due to higher memory prices. The increase came about seven months after the series was launched in March.
Samsung Electronics Raises Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Prices by 149,600 Won
According to industry sources on October 1, Samsung Electronics raised the prices of the 256GB and 512GB models of the Samsung Galaxy S26, Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra by 149,600 won each, effective that day. The 1TB Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra became 276,100 won more expensive, while the base Galaxy Tab S11 also rose by 157,000 won.
Samsung Electronics also raised the prices of the Galaxy S25 Edge and some high-capacity models of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 in April. At the time, the increases were concentrated on high-capacity products, but this time they have expanded to the 256GB base-capacity models, which have higher sales volumes.
Data Center Investment Boom Drives Up DRAM and NAND Flash Memory Prices
The reason is the rising cost burden caused by surging memory prices. As the AI data center investment boom continues, memory manufacturers have rapidly expanded production of AI-related products, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and server DRAM. In the process, supplies of mobile DRAM (LPDDR) and NAND flash memory used in smartphones have tightened, sending prices sharply higher. As the rise in memory prices persists, smartphone makers are finding it increasingly difficult to absorb the higher costs themselves.
Higher smartphone prices have also been seen in Apple's new iPhone 18, which was launched last month.
The official price of the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro is 1.99 million won, up 200,000 won from its predecessor. The 1TB Pro model costs 2.89 million won, an increase of 500,000 won.
The 256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max was also launched at 2.19 million won, up 200,000 won from its predecessor. The 1TB and 2TB Pro Max models rose by 500,000 won and 800,000 won, respectively, pushing their official prices above 3 million won.
[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter