Samsung’s choice not to raise the price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra appears to have paid off with improved sales, according to new research. That strategy was made possible by watering down its pre-order deal, weaker discounts and higher prices for other phones to offset the effects of surging memory prices. It worked, but how long for?
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Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra price gamble hasn't impacted its sales negatively. (Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Samsung kept the price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra at 1,299.99 when it launched, the same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra the year before. Instead, the Korean company raised the price of the base and Plus Galaxy S26 models.
It later hiked the cost of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy A-series. But the Galaxy S26 Ultra has resolutely stayed at the same price and received a few discounts, although the latest one doesn't match an equivalent Galaxy S25 Ultra deal from last year.
That strategy of protecting its jewel in the crown has paid off. New data from Counterpoint Research shows the Galaxy S26 series recorded 13% higher cumulative sales in its first six weeks after launch compared with the Galaxy S25 at the same point last year. Samsung's overall smartphone sales also rose 5% year-on-year during the same period.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra specifically drove the outperformance. Counterpoint's Jan Stryjak, who covers the European market, pointed directly to stable pricing as the key driver. The Galaxy S26 Ultra accounted for the highest share within Samsung's S-series portfolio ever recorded in Europe.
"Thanks to no price increase versus the S25 Ultra and featuring the impressive Privacy Display, sales of the flagship smartphone increased significantly compared to the previous generation," Stryjak noted.
In the U.S. and South Korea, Samsung's two most important premium markets, the series recorded solid double-digit percentage growth. These are the markets where the Galaxy S26 Ultra's price stability mattered most, especially up against Apple, its key rival in both regions.
It’s worth noting that in week six, weekly Galaxy S26 sales actually fell below the equivalent Galaxy S25 figure from the same week last year. That’s a full reversal rather than just a slowdown. That raises genuine questions about whether Samsung can maintain its early momentum going into the summer. Stryjak suggests this could be down to "the deteriorating macro climate as a result of the Middle East conflict."
Samsung's strategy clearly worked in its key markets, so a similar pricing plan for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 when it launches in July seems likely. And if the memory chip crisis continues into 2027, keeping manufacturing costs high as IDC and Gartner predict, the Galaxy S27 Ultra could receive the same treatment.
But 2027 is a long way away. If the week six reversal turns into a sustained slowdown, Samsung may have to revisit how long it can absorb those higher manufacturing costs without passing them on.
There’s also added pressure from Google, which has maintained deep price cuts for its Pixel 10 series throughout its life cycle, and Apple, which analysts expect to price the iPhone 18 "aggressively" too. Both companies have highly profitable software and subscription services that give them some cushion against higher manufacturing costs. Samsung is more reliant on hardware sales, so how long it can hold Galaxy S26 Ultra prices if RAM costs don’t settle remains to be seen.
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