Depending on whether you’re an Apple fan or in the Samsung camp, this year’s pricing news could be good or bad, because while Samsung has unsurprisingly increased its prices for the Galaxy S26 series, Apple may not do the same for the iPhone 18 series.
According to Swedish traders, seen by winfutureSamsung could increase the starting price of the base model Galaxy S26 by almost €200 (around $240 / £175 / AU$340). Although you apparently get at least double the storage for your money, Samsung reportedly ditched the 128GB model and introduced the Galaxy S26 with 256GB.
For reference, the Samsung Galaxy S25 starts at $799 / £799 (there’s no 128GB version available in Australia), but if you want 256GB it’s $859 / £859 / AU$1,399. However, even this current price is a bit lower than what the Samsung Galaxy S26 looks like it could launch.
For the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, the starting price is the same as last year, which would mean $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 if the same applies to other regions. But interestingly, if you opt for a 512GB configuration, you’ll apparently pay €230 (around $275 / £200 / AU$390) more than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus in that configuration.
There’s better news for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, as its starting price will apparently be almost €100 (around $120 / £85 / AU$170) less than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s starting price of $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149.
A different approach
These price changes, and especially price increases, are almost certainly due to rising prices for RAM and flash storage. But while these memory prices will affect the entire industry, it appears that Apple could absorb the costs necessary to increase its market share.
This is what the analyst states. Ming Chi KuoHe claims that Apple’s current plan is to at least keep the starting prices of these phones stable, so it looks like there could be a price increase for the higher storage versions.
However, that would mean the iPhone 18 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149. That would be great news, especially since these are anything but cheap phones.
Of course, we’re taking all of this with a grain of salt for now, but at least when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, we should find out how much these phones cost very soon, as leaks point to a February 25 launch.
