Samsung raised prices across its flagship Galaxy S line this year, yet output and sales rose as consumers rushed to buy phones before costs climbed further.
The price of the 512GB Galaxy S model increased from 1,298,000 won ($968) for the Galaxy S25 to 1,507,000 won for the Galaxy S26, a rise of more than 200,000 won in one year driven by higher memory chip costs and other cost pressures. The Galaxy S26 launch drew complaints from consumers who said they wished they had bought the previous model instead.
Samsung production bucks global trend
Despite the hikes, Samsung Electronics’ smartphone output reached about 62 million units in the second quarter of this year, up roughly 7 percent from a year earlier, keeping the company in the top spot globally with a 23 percent market share, according to market researcher TrendForce. That growth came even as global smartphone output fell 8 percent year-on-year to about 275 million units, meaning Samsung’s production rose against the broader trend.
Industry watchers and TrendForce said many consumers pulled forward purchases amid expectations of further price increases. “This is the result of pulling forward future demand,” TrendForce said, adding that “if memory chip prices continue to rise next year, the burden on the smartphone market could grow again.”
Apple faced similar cost pressures and also saw output rise, with production up 14 percent to about 52 million units, but its market share was limited to 19 percent, leaving it in second place behind Samsung.
Price hikes and model-by-model increases
Samsung raised prices on multiple Galaxy S configurations. Alongside the 512GB model, the base Galaxy S26 256GB model went from 1,155,000 won to 1,254,000 won, while the Plus 256GB model rose from 1,353,000 won to 1,452,000 won. In April, Samsung increased the retail price of the Galaxy S25 Edge (512GB) by 110,000 won, from 1,639,000 won to 1,749,000 won.
Attention now turns to Apple’s next iPhone. Apple has already raised prices on its Mac and other PC products and has signaled it will raise iPhone prices as well; industry sources expect the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to see price increases of around 200,000 to 300,000 won compared with their predecessors.
