Jakarta, Indonesia – Samsung Electronics Indonesia officially began pre-orders for its Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra smartphones on Thursday, February 26, 2026, alongside a significant price increase across the entire series. The base model, the Galaxy S26, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, is priced at Rp16,499,000 (approximately $1,065 USD), a Rp1,500,000 increase over its predecessor.
The price hike extends to other configurations. The Galaxy S26 12GB/512GB variant costs Rp19,499,000, a Rp2,500,000 jump from the previous generation. Similarly, the Galaxy S26+ models see increases of Rp1,500,000 (12GB/256GB at Rp19,499,000) and Rp2,500,000 (12GB/512GB at Rp22,499,000). The premium Galaxy S26 Ultra, now available with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, reaches a price of Rp31,999,000 (approximately $2,060 USD), exceeding the previous top-end model’s price of Rp29 million.
The price adjustments are not limited to Indonesia, with reports indicating similar increases in the United States and South Korea, according to Reuters. The company appears to be testing market reaction amid ongoing pressures from a global memory chip crisis, which is driving up production costs and eroding manufacturer margins.
Samsung had previously warned of potential headwinds due to the chip shortage, particularly as demand surges for chips used in artificial intelligence applications. In late January 2026, the company reported a more than threefold increase in operating profit and a record fourth-quarter 2025 performance, highlighting its strength as a leading memory chip producer. Yet, Samsung too cautioned that rising chip prices would impact the profitability of its smartphone and display businesses.
“The overall significant shortage of memory products is expected to continue for the time being,” Samsung memory chip business executive Kim Jaejune told analysts during an earnings conference call, as reported by Reuters. The company’s chip business saw a 470% surge in operating profit to a record 16.4 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2025, accounting for over 80% of its total profit.
Conversely, the mobile business experienced a 10% decline in profit to 1.9 trillion won, attributed to the rising cost of chips. Sohn In-joon, an analyst at Heungkuk Securities, noted that the increase in memory prices is expected to continue and potentially provide a revenue surprise, while intensifying cost pressures on the mobile business.
Samsung’s smartphone and display divisions anticipate a “challenging year” in 2026 due to the increased costs. The smartphone division plans to collaborate closely with key partners to ensure a stable supply of products and improve resource efficiency to mitigate potential profit declines, according to Samsung executive Cho Seung.
Samsung Co-CEO TM Roh recently described the current chip shortage as unprecedented, suggesting further price increases may be necessary. The price increases for the Galaxy S26 series confirm this possibility. It remains unclear whether Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A series will also be subject to similar price adjustments. Analysts suggest that lower-priced phones, which operate on smaller margins and rely on high sales volumes, are likely to be more significantly affected by the rising cost of memory chips.
“How this division [Samsung Mobile] maintains margins going forward will be a key issue,” said Ko Yeongmin, an analyst at Daol Investment &. Securities.
Samsung’s display business also forecasts weaker smartphone demand in the current quarter due to the higher chip prices and anticipates customers will push for price reductions. Despite these challenges, the display business reported a more than twofold increase in profit to 2 trillion won in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven by strong sales related to Apple’s iPhone 17 series.
During the pre-order period, which runs until March 17, 2026, Indonesian consumers can take advantage of a “Free Memory Upgrade” promotion, receiving a 512GB unit when purchasing a 256GB model. Additional benefits include cashback offers through partner banks (up to Rp2,000,000), enhanced trade-in values (up to Rp1,000,000), increased Samsung Rewards points (up to 5x), and e-vouchers worth Rp500,000 for future accessory purchases.
