Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra price leak hints towards a major hike just ahead of launch on Feb 25

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is just a day away from its official launch, but before Samsung unveils it, pricing leaks have left the fans disheartened. If the leaked numbers are true, the top-end model may come with a noticeable jump.  Also Read: Someone bought Galaxy S26 Ultra already, compared with iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra

According to a report from South Korean media outlet Chosun, Samsung has reportedly finalised domestic pricing for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. While price increases were expected, the scale of the hike on higher storage models is what’s raising eyebrows. Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra leak reveals built-in privacy screen feature ahead of launch

How much could the Galaxy S26 Ultra cost?

Based on the reported figures for South Korea: Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S26 series roundup: Design, cameras, specs, what to expect at Galaxy Unpacked 2026

• 256GB variant – 1,797,000 won (approx $1,250)
• 512GB variant – 2,050,900 won (approx $1,425)
• 16GB + 1TB variant – 2,545,400 won (approx $1,765)

The biggest shock comes from the 1TB model. Compared to last year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra 1TB, the new price reportedly reflects a nearly 20 percent increase, translating to roughly a $290–$300 jump year-over-year. Even the 512GB model is said to be up by around 11 percent, while the base storage variant sees a smaller increase of under 6 percent.

Why are prices going up?

The reported hike is largely being linked to rising memory component costs. DRAM and NAND flash prices have climbed significantly over the past few months. And since Ultra models often see higher adoption of larger storage configurations, the impact becomes more visible on the 1TB version.

An industry source quoted in the report suggested that higher-capacity variants are feeling the pressure more sharply because of this memory cost surge. Now, currency conversion rarely tells the full story. Historically, the US prices for Samsung’s Ultra models have been slightly higher than direct won-to-dollar conversions.

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If the pattern holds, and if the 20 percent increase carries over, the Galaxy S26 Ultra 1TB could potentially edge close to, or even cross, the $1,800 to $1,900 range in some markets. That’s a significant psychological barrier for a non-foldable flagship phone.