The iPhone 18 could be profitable compared to the Galaxy S26 – new reports say that Apple will “absorb” the cost of RAM unlike Samsung.
- It is reported that Samsung will increase the price of some models of the Galaxy S26
- This may be due to increased memory costs
- In contrast, Apple will apparently take the cost of keeping the prices of the iPhone 18 the same as the iPhone 17
Depending on whether you are an Apple fan or in the Samsung camp, the price news this year can be good or bad, as Samsung is surprisingly reported to increase its prices for the Galaxy S26 series, Apple may not be with the iPhone 18 line.
According to retailer data from Sweden seen by WinFuture, Samsung could raise the starting price of the base model of the Galaxy S26 by around 200 euros (around $240 / £175 / AU$340). Although you could at least get twice the storage for your money, and Samsung is reportedly ditching the 128GB model and starting the Galaxy S26 at 256GB.
For the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, the starting price is shown to be the same as last year, which would mean $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 if that is true in other regions as well. But ironically if you opt for the 512GB configuration then you will apparently pay €230 (around $275 / £200 / AU$390) more than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus for that configuration.
There is better news for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra though, as the starting price for this will be around €100 (around $120 / £85 / AU$170) less than the $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149 starting price of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
A different way
These price changes – and especially price increases – are almost entirely offset by the rising price of RAM and flash memory. But while those memory prices will affect the entire industry, it appears that Apple may be holding costs down to increase its market share.
A few quick thoughts on the Apple/iPhone memory price hike:1. The 1Q26 LPDDR price increase mentioned in the news is very close to what I heard. The increase in NAND flash, however, is less.2. The price of iPhone memory is now negotiated every quarter instead of six months, so…January 27, 2026
This is according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who says that Apple’s current plan is to keep the initial prices of these phones low – so it sounds like the higher storage versions could see a price increase.
However, that would mean the iPhone 18 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399, the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,999, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149. That would be good news, especially since these are far from being cheap phones to begin with.
Of course, we can take all this with a pinch of salt for now, but at least as far as the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, we should find out how much these phones cost soon, with leaks pointing to a February 25 launch.
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