Samsung Galaxy S26 gets first price hike in India, will start at Rs 99,999 from September 20th
Samsung has increased the price of the Galaxy S26 in India, marking the first price hike for the flagship since its launch earlier this year. Both the variants of the phone are now Rs 12,000 more expensive than their launch prices, with the base model touching the Rs 1 lakh mark. Notably, the hike comes shortly after Apple raised the price of the iPhone 17 in India following the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone Duo.
The revised prices will take effect from September 20th. There have been reports of price increases of up to Rs 20,000 for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, but there is currently no further information on whether or when those prices will change.
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Samsung Galaxy S26 new price
| Variant | Launch price | New price |
| 12GB + 256GB | Rs 87,999 | Rs 99,999 |
| 12GB + 512GB | Rs 1,07,999 | Rs 1,19,999 |
The timing of the hike is interesting. Apple raised the price of the iPhone 17 in India from Rs 82,900 to Rs 99,900 following the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro series. That puts the two standard flagship models at almost exactly the same price, whereas the Galaxy S26 had launched Rs 5,099 above the iPhone 17. Apple and Samsung are among the last OEMs to raise prices of their current flagships, as other Chinese manufacturers have already done so multiple times in the past.
Samsung Galaxy S26 specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S26 has a 6.3-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and up to 2,600 nits peak brightness. It is powered by the Exynos 2600 in some markets, while other regions get a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. India gets the Exynos version while the US gets the Qualcomm chipset. The phone comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB or 512GB storage, along with a 4,300mAh battery, 25W wired charging and wireless charging. Its triple rear camera setup includes a 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultrawide camera and 10MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Other features include Android 16 with One UI, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, an Armor Aluminum frame and IP68 water and dust resistance.
Just like the iPhone, India is not the cheapest market for the Galaxy S26. At launch, the US price started at USD 899.99, which was roughly Rs 82,000 when converted, while the UK and European prices were higher. The UAE was closer to India’s pricing. The latest hike further widens the gap with the US, although direct currency conversion does not account for taxes, duties, warranty coverage or regional pricing strategies.
The price increase changes the value equation. At Rs 87,999, the 12GB + 256GB Galaxy S26 sat below the new Rs 99,900 starting price of the iPhone 17. At Rs 99,999, Samsung’s phone is now effectively competing head-on with Apple’s standard flagship. The Galaxy S26 is already unavailable on Amazon, while Flipkart has limited stock at the time of writing, making the current pricing worth considering for buyers who were already planning to purchase Samsung’s compact flagship.
Buyers who have already decided on the Galaxy S26 and can find stock at the current price may therefore want to complete the purchase before September 20th.
