Galaxy S26 leaks: Rising costs, new line-up and what’s in store

Samsung Galaxy S26 leaks about the upcoming Galaxy S26 series are taking the buzz to new levels. Reports have indicated a number of times that Samsung could push the release of the Galaxy S26 series to March, and a new leak now says it has the specific date. A report holds that Samsung is also going to have a Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, 2021, in San Francisco adopting the Galaxy S26 collection. Samsung normally releases the flagship Galaxy S series phones in January. As the brand's leaks and reports indicate that the upcoming flagship series will see some major changes in the brand. The new models, Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra are already being discussed, and Samsung can afford to drop the Edge version because of its low demand and increased production costs. Here are some Samsung Galaxy S26 leaks about rising costs and new line-up.

Why a price hike for Galaxy S26?

Some of the reports suggest that Samsung is being pressurised due to the increase in price of some of its important components:

• Chipsets are reported to have gone up at about 12 percent per annum.

• Camera modules have supposedly gone up by about 8% in cost.

• Mobile memory e.g. LPDDR5 RAM is indicated to have increased by more than 16 percent in certain reports.

These price strains are particularly applicable since flagship phones are becoming more and more dependent on premium features (e.g., 3nm process chip, new camera sensors, AI-enabled memory). In case Samsung is unable to absorb them themselves based on scale or cost reduction, it can be transferred to the consumer.

Galaxy S26 leaks: Line-up changes & launch timeline

Other than pricing, it is also reported that the S26 series is going to be restructured in its line-up:

• The Edge model can be discontinued in favour of the standard three: base, Plus, Ultra.

• The date of launch seems to be changing--now some sources indicate that it can be a February 25 2026 event in San Francisco or even earlier in March.

These choices mirror internal strategic changes and cost/production changes, which are connected to the rest of the story of cost pressures and changing component supply chains.

To the Indian consumers, there are two implications:

• Higher prices: Samsung can choose to defend itself, and next-gen prices in India could begin at a higher point than the previous generations. The estimates of the Ultra model are already above Rs1.3 lakh because of leaks.

• Possible potential of older models: In case the S26 series is higher priced, then there may be more bargains in the outgoing S25 series or the 2024/2025 flagships as people are increasingly offered bargains and discounts.

The leaks around the Galaxy S26 series indicate that Samsung is navigating more than just the usual “what specs to upgrade” challenge. As the prices of its components go up, the market needs change and its internal line-up reconsidered, the launch of the S26 could become a signal of a shift in the price and positioning of a flagship phone. 

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.