If you were hoping Samsung’s 2027 flagship would give your wallet a break, look away now. A new leak out of South Korea claims the Galaxy S27 family will cost more than this year’s S26 range, with the top-end Ultra model potentially pushing toward the 2000 dollar mark. Coming just months after Samsung raised S26 prices in Korea for the first time in four years, the rumour paints a worrying picture for anyone planning an upgrade in 2027.
The leak comes from Lanzuk, a Korean blogger with a solid track record on Samsung pricing, via a report picked up by PhoneArena this week. According to the tipster, the S27 lineup will see an increase of between 100,000 and 130,000 won over S26 pricing, which converts to roughly 74 to 96 dollars. That might sound manageable on its own, but there is a sting in the tail. Lanzuk claims Samsung is considering a steeper rate of increase for higher-storage variants, which is where the real money lives.
What the leaked prices could look like
PhoneArena ran the numbers by converting the Korean figures directly to dollars, and the results are sobering. The 256GB Galaxy S27 Ultra, which would follow a 1299 dollar S26 Ultra, could land at around 1399 dollars. The 512GB model, currently 1499 dollars, could climb to 1599 dollars or more. And the 1TB flagship, which sells for 1799 dollars today, could launch at a price very close to or even above 2000 dollars.
For UK buyers, the maths is equally uncomfortable. The current S26 Ultra sells for 1279 pounds at 256GB. Apply a similar uplift and the S27 Ultra would start at roughly 1380 pounds, with the 512GB model around 1575 pounds and the 1TB version closing in on 1970 pounds. These are estimates, not confirmed figures, and UK pricing does not always track the dollar one to one, but the direction of travel is clear.
There is, however, a dissenting voice. An earlier leak from tipster phonefuturist suggested only the Ultra model would get more expensive, with a starting price of 1499 dollars. The mixed reports suggest Samsung itself may still be deciding whether to raise prices across the whole S27 range or reserve the hike for its premium flagship. One thing looks near certain though. The next Galaxy phones will be expensive.
Why your next Galaxy costs more, blame the memory crisis
The culprit is the industry-wide memory shortage that analysts have started calling RAMageddon. Demand for memory chips from AI data centres has sent RAM and storage prices soaring, and phone makers can only absorb the pain for so long. Samsung has already blamed elevated memory costs for the S26 price rises, and the same forces are now shaping the S27.
The S26 series arrived with memory-driven premiums baked in, and Samsung then raised Korean prices a second time during the year. The base S26 ended up around 200 dollars pricier than the S25 generation would have been, while in Korea the entry model climbed by 149,600 won to 1,403,600 won, about 1030 dollars. Retailers including Amazon and Best Buy were still catching up with the new pricing in early October. Against that backdrop, another increase for the S27 starts to look less like a shock and more like the new normal.
Our breakdown of the S26 Korea price hike explains how we got here, and it is worth a read if you want the full backstory on Samsung’s memory cost problem.
What you get for the extra money
A price rise is easier to swallow when the upgrades are real, and on that front the S27 leaks are genuinely encouraging. The Ultra is rumoured to ditch Samsung’s long-running vertical camera layout for a horizontal camera module, a redesign that could also make room for built-in Qi2 magnets. That would finally let Galaxy phones snap onto magnetic chargers and accessories without a special case, something iPhone owners have enjoyed for years.
Battery life should take a meaningful step forward too. Leaks point to a cell of around 5700mAh in the S27 Ultra, which would finally break Samsung’s 5000mAh ceiling after years of standing still. Under the hood, expect UFS 5.1 storage and LPDDR6 RAM, plus a choice between Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon for Galaxy chip and Samsung’s own Exynos 2700 depending on your region.
On cameras, respected tipster Ice Universe claims Samsung is preparing three significant software-based camera upgrades, though there are also reports that the dedicated 3x telephoto lens could be dropped in favour of high-resolution sensor cropping. Our Galaxy S27 Ultra leak roundup has the full rundown of every rumour so far, from the new four-model lineup to the redesigned camera housing.
What it means for UK and US buyers
Samsung is expected to unveil the S27 lineup in early 2027, most likely in February, which means there are still months of leaks to come before anything is official. In the UK, expect the range to land on EE, O2, Vodafone and Three from day one, with Currys, Argos and Amazon UK all stocking the phones at launch. In the US, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile will carry the lineup alongside Best Buy, Amazon and B&H.
If the leaks hold, the base Galaxy S27 could push past the 1000 pound mark in the UK for the first time, while the Ultra starts to encroach on foldable territory. That changes the buying maths considerably. With the S26 Ultra currently selling for 1279 pounds, deal hunters may find the outgoing model the smarter buy once S27 hype starts driving discounts.
Still on the fence about the current flagship, our Galaxy S26 Ultra review breaks down whether Samsung’s 2026 phone is worth your money at today’s prices.
Should you wait for the S27
As ever with leaks this far out, treat the exact figures with caution. Samsung has months to finalise pricing, and currency swings alone could shift the UK numbers by the time February arrives. But the trend is unmistakable. Memory costs are reshaping what flagship phones cost to build, and Samsung is passing that bill to buyers.
The upgrades sound real enough to justify interest, with the bigger battery and Qi2 magnets addressing two of the longest-running Galaxy complaints. Whether they justify a near 2000 dollar Ultra is another question. If you need a phone now, the S26 Ultra at current prices looks increasingly like the value play. If you can wait, keep an eye on the leaks. The S27 story is only just getting started.
