Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Arrives in India With Sharp Price Increase
Samsung has unveiled its Galaxy S26 series in India, but this year the spotlight is as much on pricing as it is on features. The new lineup — comprising the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra — comes with noticeable price increases compared to last year’s Galaxy S25 models.
The standard Galaxy S26 now costs Rs 13,000 more than its predecessor. The S26 Plus sees a Rs 20,000 jump, while the S26 Ultra is Rs 10,000 more expensive. At a time when premium smartphones are already pushing higher price brackets, the hike may give buyers pause.
While it is easy to attribute the higher prices to visible upgrades like Samsung’s new Privacy Display technology, the real reasons likely lie deeper within the global supply chain.
Rising component costs driving flagship pricing
One of the biggest cost pressures in 2026 is memory. Prices of RAM and storage have climbed significantly over the past year. The same high-performance memory used in flagship smartphones is now in heavy demand from AI companies building large-scale data centres. These firms are purchasing components in bulk and securing long-term supply agreements, reducing availability for smartphone manufacturers. As a result, handset brands are facing steeper procurement costs.
Chipsets are another critical factor. Flagship processors have grown increasingly expensive with each generation. According to estimates shared by tipster Abhishek Yadav in late 2025, the cost to manufacturers for top-tier Snapdragon chips has risen steadily, with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 reportedly priced between $240 and $280. That is a substantial jump from earlier generations and goes a long way in explaining why premium phones are getting costlier. It also helps explain why Samsung has limited the newest Snapdragon chip to the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year, while switching back to its own Exynos processor for the standard and Plus models in India. Last year’s Galaxy S25 series had offered Snapdragon chips across the lineup, making the change more noticeable.
Not just Samsung: Industry-wide reset underway
Samsung’s pricing shift reflects a broader change in the Indian smartphone market. Over the past year, multiple brands have revised flagship pricing upward. Devices that once comfortably launched in the Rs 50,000–Rs 60,000 range are now nearing or crossing Rs 70,000.
Nothing CEO Carl Pei recently addressed this issue publicly, warning that 2026 could be a difficult year for smartphone pricing. He pointed out that for over a decade, phone makers relied on falling component costs to deliver better hardware without raising prices too sharply. That assumption, he said, no longer holds. Memory, once a relatively minor cost, is now among the most expensive components, forcing brands to either raise prices or cut back on specifications.
"Brands now face a simple choice - raise prices, by 30 per cent or more in some cases, or downgrade specs. Pricing will inevitably also increase across our smartphone portfolio, particularly as we will upgrade some products launching this Q1 to UFS 3.1," Pei said on X.
Launch offers soften the blow
To ease the transition, Samsung is offering limited-period promotions, including double storage at the base price. For example, buyers can opt for the 512GB variant at the price typically associated with lower storage configurations.
The Galaxy S26 starts at Rs 87,999 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The S26 Plus begins at Rs 1,19,999, while the S26 Ultra starts at Rs 1,39,999. Once promotional offers conclude, the full impact of the price revision will be clearer.
With rising memory and chipset costs reshaping industry economics, 2026 may mark a turning point in how flagship smartphones are priced in India.