Samsung has revised the pricing of some of its premium smartphones in South Korea starting April 1, 2026. The move comes at a time when global component costs, especially memory chips, are rising at an unprecedented rate. While price hikes in the smartphone market are not new, this development stands out because it affects devices that have already been on sale for months. Until now, brands have only made price adjustments for new launches. The increasing squeeze on margins has prompted Samsung to initiate price cuts even in their existing flagship portfolio, which could be a sign of how companies might respond to cost pressures in the future.
According to the tipster @jukan05, the price revision applies to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and Galaxy S25 Edge. Interestingly, the base versions of these phones remain the same, and the price increase is limited to higher storage versions. As per the reports, the price of the 512GB versions is now higher by KRW 100,000, which is roughly Rs 6,200. On the other hand, the price of the 1TB versions is higher by KRW 200,000, roughly Rs 12,400.
This selective pricing strategy implies that the company is aiming to strike a balance between the cost of the product for the entry-level flagship buyers and the cost of the product for the premium buyers.
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Although the company has yet to officially explain the rationale behind the price hike of the product. According to industry experts, the possible reason behind the price hike of the product could be the prevailing price hike of the memory components of the product.
In the last one year alone, the prices of DDR4 memory modules have risen nearly ten times, and the prices of NAND memory devices have risen multiple times as well. This memory component is a requirement of smartphone devices, especially high-end devices.
Samsung was able to absorb these increasing costs, especially for its high-end products, as the profit margin is generally higher for those products. However, the increasing costs are proving to be a problem for Samsung, and it is having to pass on these costs to its consumers.
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For now, the price revision is limited to South Korea. Samsung has made no announcements about price revisions in other markets. However, due to the interconnected nature of supply chains, the situation is the same in other markets like India and the US. If memory prices continue to remain high, price revisions in other markets cannot be ruled out. That said, a recent report suggests that memory component prices have started to decline, although this trend currently applies primarily to chips used in laptops and PCs.