After resisting the general industry-wide trend, Samsung has now raised the prices across its entire Galaxy S26 series lineup in India by up to 17 per cent just ahead of the festive season rush. Coming on the heels of Apple’s recent upward price adjustments for the iPhone family in the Indian market, the entry point for a modern tier-one Android flagship has permanently shattered the six-figure mark.
While Samsung doesn’t comment on why the prices have been revised, it could all be brought down to the common issue – rising component costs of current-gen silicon, advanced camera optics, and high-frequency memory modules. This makes every variant in Samsung’s current main flagship portfolio pricer, with the base Galaxy S26 now costing more than Rs 1,00,000.
Galaxy S26 series price hike in India
The baseline Galaxy S26 (256 GB) now demands Rs 1,02,999, which is a steep Rs 15,000 jump from its launch. The top-of-the-line 1 TB S26 Ultra has surged past Rs 2,14,000.
Galaxy S26 (256 GB)
Revised Price: Rs 1,02,999 (up from Rs 87,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 15,000 (~17.0% increase)
Takeaway: Eliminates the sub-Rs 90,000 entry point for Samsung’s standard flagship tier.
Galaxy S26 (512 GB)
Revised Price: Rs 1,22,999 (up from Rs 1,07,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 15,000 (~13.9% increase)
Takeaway: Pushes mid-tier storage standard flagship prices into territory previously held by ‘Plus’ models.
Galaxy S26+ (256 GB)
Revised Price: Rs 1,34,999 (up from Rs 1,19,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 15,000 (~12.5% increase)
Takeaway: Broadens the price gap for buyers looking for screen size over camera features.
Galaxy S26+ (512 GB)
Revised Price: Rs 1,54,999 (up from Rs 1,39,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 15,000 (~10.7% increase)
Takeaway: Matches the new starting price of the base S26 Ultra.
Galaxy S26 Ultra (256 GB)
Revised Price: Rs 1,54,999 (up from Rs 1,39,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 15,000 (~10.7% increase)
Takeaway: Establishes a new minimum threshold for Samsung’s top-tier camera and stylus hardware.
Galaxy S26 Ultra (512 GB)
Revised Price: Rs 1,74,999 (up from Rs 1,59,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 15,000 (~9.4% increase)
Takeaway: Targets high-performance power users with near-Rs 1.75 lakh range.
Galaxy S26 Ultra (1 TB)
Revised Price: Rs 2,14,999 (up from Rs 1,89,999 launch price)
Impact: Rs 25,000 (~13.2% increase)
Takeaway: Breaches the Rs 2,00,000 mark for the first time on a standard Samsung bar phone in India.
Head-to-Head: Galaxy S26 vs iPhone 17/18 Pro in India
Samsung historically used its base flagship pricing to undercut equivalent iPhone offerings in India. With both brands introducing sharp price revisions, that cost gap has effectively vanished.
The entry gap:
Following Apple’s revision of the iPhone 17 (256 GB) up to Rs 99,900, Samsung’s base S26 at Rs 1,02,999 is now slightly more expensive than Apple’s standard baseline option. The “value alternative” hook for the base Android flagship is gone.
The ultra-premium divergence:
At the high end, the Galaxy S26 Ultra now demands a premium over standard iPhone Pro models. Rather than competing on price, Samsung is betting that power users will pay a premium for features like its integrated S-Pen and ultra-bright display hardware over the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max versions.
What does higher price mean for you?
The recent price hikes mean that festive season shoppers will need to lean heavily on bank cashbacks, exchange bonuses, and long-term financing options to bring down out-of-pocket costs.
For buyers on a strict sub-Rs 80,000 budget, the choice is no longer between a current-generation base iPhone and a Galaxy S-series phone. Instead, you can choose between a previous-gen flagship stock on clearance (like Apple’s iPhone 16, or iPhone 17e vs Samsung’s Galaxy S25). Alternatively, you can also choose Chinese flagships like the OnePlus 15 and Vivo X300 FE.