Samsung might raise prices on its most expensive phones, starting in South Korea

Will Sattelberg | Mar 31 2026 - 7:40 am PT

If you’ve shopped for anything remotely related to computing over the past six months, you know it’s a pretty bad time to be in the market for tech. With AI-fueled RAM and storage shortages continuing with no end in sight, plenty of brands have either enacted or are considering price hikes on their already-available tech. Starting tomorrow, Samsung might be the latest brand to join in the (not so) fun.

According to a report from Newsway (h/t SamMobile), Samsung is set to raise prices on three of its most expensive phones beginning as soon as tomorrow, April 1st. Those affected devices include the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and S25 Edge — all three of which already make for some of the brand’s most expensive devices. Now, there are two small pieces of good news that might make this easier to swallow: it seems like this increase is limited to South Korea for now, and it’s only affecting the higher storage tiers of these phones, not the entry-level 256GB models.

Newsway‘s report suggests each of the 512GB models are rising in price by about 100,000 won (~$65), while the 1TB version of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will see a bump of “nearly” 200,000 won (~$130). Those aren’t massive price hikes in and of themselves — especially compared to something like the PS5 Pro, which is set to increase in price by $150 starting Thursday — but it’s certainly notable. Keeping the 256GB models locked at their initial prices could be seen as extending an olive branch to more casual users. That said, if you want to be more cynical about it, this move could also be a way for Samsung to hold onto their “starting at” prices to avoid a more obvious increase.

If these changes do roll out beyond South Korea — and considering the price hikes on devices like the Galaxy A37 and A57, I’d say global changes are certainly not out of the question — it’s unclear if Samsung would take a similar high storage tier strategy in the US. Likewise, I doubt we’d see 1:1 increases through currency conversion; $100 or $200 increases matching the rounded won amounts could end up being a factor. Either way, one thing’s for sure: smartphone prices aren’t coming down any time soon.