Samsung has raised Galaxy S26 prices in the US, and the higher figures are already live on Samsung’s own online store. The Galaxy S26 now lists at $999.99, up from $899.99. The Galaxy S26+ lists at $1,199.99, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,399.99 for the 256GB model. Android Authority, which reported the change, says the increase is $100 on the 256GB and 512GB models and $200 on the 1TB Ultra. The outlet attributes the move to the global memory-component shortage, and says it covers both the US and South Korea.
Galaxy S26 pricing in the US
These are the prices Samsung currently lists on its US site, as of October 1, 2026:
- Galaxy S26 — $999.99 (previously $899.99)
- Galaxy S26+ — $1,199.99
- Galaxy S26 Ultra, 256GB — $1,399.99
- Galaxy S26 Ultra, 512GB — $1,599.99
- Galaxy S26 Ultra, 1TB — $1,999.99
As of October 1, no Samsung statement explaining the increase has surfaced. The memory-shortage reasoning and the South Korea scope both come from Android Authority’s reporting rather than from Samsung. Android Authority also notes that some online listings still showed the old pricing when it filed, and suggested that may not hold for long. So expect inconsistent numbers across retailers for a few days.
Why this matters for buyers
Nothing about the phones themselves has changed. The hardware is identical to what shipped in September. What has changed is the amount a new buyer pays.
That is the part worth sitting with. If memory costs are the driver, as Android Authority reports, that is a real cost pressure on Samsung. A mid-cycle price rise passes it straight to the customer rather than absorbing it. Anyone who already owns an S26 is unaffected. Anyone shopping this week pays up to $200 more than a launch-day buyer did for the same device.
If you have been holding off on an upgrade, it is worth checking carrier and third-party retailers before ordering from Samsung directly. Trade-in credit and carrier bill credits can also blunt the difference, though those offers change constantly.
This also gives some context to earlier reports from other markets. In September, we covered a report of an India price hike that Samsung had not confirmed at the time. Memory is a global input cost, so other regions are plausible candidates for similar changes. For now the confirmed scope is the US, plus the South Korea coverage Android Authority describes. On the software side, Samsung is separately pushing One UI 9 out more widely to S26 owners in the US.
Sources: Samsung, Android Authority
