Samsung isn’t alone in hiking the price of its Galaxy S26 this year (not to mention the recent surprise Galaxy Z Fold 7 price rise); Motorola, Xiamoi and Oppo have done the same.
Paying more is unavoidable in 2026 thanks to the ongoing memory chip crisis. But higher prices isn’t the only issue this year; it’s how those higher prices affect discounts.
A new Samsung promotion gives us a sobering idea of what to expect when it comes to price cuts for Samsung phones this year. Read on for more, and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for instant deal updates.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. (Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
The good news is that the Galaxy S26 just received its first proper discount this week. The bad news is that it’s now as expensive as the base Galaxy S25’s launch price last year.
Samsung has knocked $100 off the 256GB and 512GB models if no phone is traded in, which brings them down to $799 and $999 respectively. The deal effectively cancels out the $100 increase the 256GB model received at release in March. $100 off a new flagship is a decent, if not spectacular, deal any other time, but with recent price increases, it’s a bitter pill to swallow for deal hunters in 2026.
There’s better news for the Galaxy S26 Plus. Samsung has knocked $175 off both storage options, bringing prices down to $924.99 and $1,124.99. That means the Galaxy S26 Plus 256GB is $75 cheaper than its predecessor was at launch, while the 512GB option is now $5 more than the Galaxy S25 Plus 512GB was when it released last year.
$75 off a flagship 1.5 months after launch is fine, a $5 increase less so. But as you’ll soon see, it pales in comparison to the level of discounts Samsung was offering at this time last year.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra receives no discount in this promotion, but Samsung has raised trade-in prices and offered $100 store credit on select accessories such as cases and wearables.
These Samsung deals pale in comparison to what was on offer at this time last year. As I reported at the time, Samsung U.K. threw in a free pair of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro then worth $249.99 when buying the Galaxy S25 Ultra, while Samsung U.S. slashed the price of the flagship by $200 if no phone was traded in.
We’ll have to wait and see if Samsung runs as many promotions throughout 2026 as it has done in years past for its Galaxy S line. The company’s strongest asset is its aggressive and persistent deals that combine discounts with hardware freebies.
Samsung ran some form of promotion for the Galaxy S25 in 2025 almost monthly, which knocked a significant amount of money off the series—often slashing the price by over $200 and, in some cases, knocking up to $450 off the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Amazon and Best Buy filled in the gaps when Samsung didn’t have the phones on sale. The new reality of higher costs to produce the Galaxy S26 may shrink that figure.
There are still some options for deal hunters, such as buying through the Samsung App, which often has new voucher codes. They can be found by clicking “view promo codes” on the checkout page.
Unfortunately, the long-running “APP5” code that knocked 5% off Galaxy products is no longer accepted. The app also has random bundle discounts that aren’t always advertised, so you may have to go through the rigmarole of adding items to your basket to discover them.
Third-party retailers are also offering some good deals, with Amazon often undercutting the competition. If you don’t want to spend time digging out discounts, subscribe to my newsletter for instant deal updates.
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