Samsung has quietly raised Galaxy S26 prices in the UK, adding £80 to nearly every model just seven months after launch. The 1TB Galaxy S26 Ultra has been hit hardest, jumping by a staggering £330 to £1,860. If you have been waiting for the usual autumn discounts, the wait just got more expensive.
The Galaxy S26 price hike is not limited to Britain. Buyers in the US, Europe, Canada and India are all paying more, with the increases blamed on the deepening global memory chip crisis. Here is the full breakdown of the new UK prices and what is driving them.
Galaxy S26 new UK prices in full
Every variant of the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra now costs £80 more than it did at launch in March, with one painful exception:
- Galaxy S26 (256GB): £960
- Galaxy S26 (512GB): £1,100
- Galaxy S26+ (256GB): £1,180
- Galaxy S26+ (512GB): £1,350
- Galaxy S26 Ultra (256GB): £1,360
- Galaxy S26 Ultra (512GB): £1,530
- Galaxy S26 Ultra (1TB): £1,860 (up £330)
In the US, prices have risen by $100 across the range, while European buyers face similar increases in euros. The pattern is global, and it is hitting older 2026 flagships as well as brand-new releases.
Why has Samsung raised Galaxy S26 prices?
The culprit is the memory crisis. The AI boom has devoured the world’s supply of DRAM and NAND chips, sending component costs soaring. With AI data centres absorbing vast quantities of high-end memory, there is simply less to go around for smartphones, and what remains costs far more.
Samsung is not alone. Apple chief Tim Cook recently warned that price increases are unavoidable because of what he called an unsustainable surge in memory costs. Oppo’s latest foldable also arrived with a higher price tag as memory becomes, in the words of one industry watcher, more expensive than gold.
In short, the most expensive part of your phone after the display is now the memory inside it, and that bill is being passed directly to buyers.
Samsung’s stealth price rise
What has frustrated many buyers is how quietly Samsung made the change. There was no press release, no announcement and no acknowledgement. The new prices simply appeared on Samsung’s store, leaving the tech press to discover and report them.
It is an unusual move. Smartphone prices normally fall in the months after launch as retailers compete with discounts. Raising prices seven months in, without a word, is almost unheard of for a flagship series.
What about the Galaxy S26 FE?
There is one piece of good news for bargain hunters. The Galaxy S26 FE, Samsung’s more affordable Fan Edition model, has not been affected by the price rises. If your budget cannot stretch to the new flagship prices, the FE remains the sensible way into the Galaxy ecosystem.
What does this mean for the Galaxy S27?
The S26 price hike is an ominous sign for next year’s Galaxy S27. If Samsung is raising prices on a seven-month-old phone, the 2027 flagship could launch at a record high. We have already broken down the early pricing leaks suggesting the Galaxy S27 could cost over £1,400 in the UK, and this week’s rises make that figure look increasingly realistic.
Should you still buy the Galaxy S26?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains one of the best phones you can buy, with a superb camera system, class-leading display and years of software support. But at £1,360 and up, the value equation has shifted.
If you are set on Samsung, keep an eye on network and high-street deals, which may not have adjusted to the new pricing yet. Trade-in offers and bundle deals with Galaxy Buds or watches can still soften the blow. And if you can wait, the Galaxy S26 FE delivers much of the experience for far less.
One thing is clear: the days of flagship prices drifting gently downwards are over, at least while the memory crisis lasts.
