Hi, this is Technologytodaynow. The price of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is expected to be unveiled in January next year, is expected to increase significantly. There is a prospect that the price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra will also increase significantly, so we will take a closer look.
Galaxy S26 Ultra Price Will Rise Significantly
Galaxy S25 Series Expected to Boost Price Significantly
The reason for the price increase of the Galaxy S25 Ultra is that the delivery price of the Snapdragon 8 Elite, the onboard AP, has been significantly increased. A Chinese-made smartphone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite has also seen an increase in launch prices, which seems inevitable for the Galaxy, which has a higher margin than the Chinese smartphone. The Snapdragon 8 Elite’s estimated price is $240, a $50 increase over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
There is also a Dimensity 9400, but not many manufacturers are adopting it, and Qualcomm is effectively dominating the Android flagship market. The problem is that this price hike won’t be the end. According to a report by Gizmo China, the second generation of Snapdragon 8 Elite that will likely be featured on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely to see a significant increase in prices once again.
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2nd Generation Price Expected to Be Installed on Galaxy S26 Ultra
Qualcomm reportedly launched the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which has significantly increased performance and power efficiency, but these upgrades have led to significant price increases and Android-flagged smartphones have also resulted in significant price increases.
However, the news of the new leak suggests that the Snapdragon 8 Elite successor AP, which is expected to be installed on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, will also see significant price increases. Both the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Snapdragon Elite have seen significant price increases, but the second generation of Snapdragon 8 Elite is also likely to see another significant increase in prices.
Snapdragon 8 Elite 2nd Generation Price Why and Expected Price
Of course, the second generation of Elite doesn’t get expensive for no reason. The second generation of Elite, which is expected to be installed on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is an AP produced by TSMC’s N3P process, with performance gains of at least 20 percent. As Qualcomm has been continuously raising prices from 2 percent to 30 percent, there is a possibility that the price of the second generation of Elite could be close to $300 if prices are adjusted to a similar level. In the case of the S24 Ultra released this year, the price has increased by about $100, but if the Elite second generation chipset also goes up, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is also likely to see a significant increase in price.
Galaxy S Series Slumped In Sales When Price Hikes
Apple’s A18 Pro chip, on the other hand, costs around $75 including the modem. On top of that, if Apple’s own modem performs stably, it can save more money and Apple can be more free from price pressure.
However, in the case of the Galaxy S series, sales decreased significantly when the price was raised, and on the contrary, when the price was frozen like the S24, sales recovered. In the case of the S24, the price was frozen due to the installation of the Exynos chipset, but looking at the examples of Intel or Global Foundry, it is unlikely that the Exynos 2600 will succeed suddenly in the fleet process.
Galaxy S26 Ultra price increase possible
So far, we’ve looked at the prospects for the Galaxy S26 Ultra raise. First of all, the price of the Galaxy S25 series is very important because we can predict the price of the S26 based on the price increase of the S25 that will be released early next year. It’s unlikely, but I hope the increase isn’t too big.