Samsung Galaxy S26 Price Hike Fact Check: Unlike Apple, Samsung Hasn’t Increased S26 Prices Yet

Reports of a massive Samsung Galaxy S26 price hike in India have been circulating for days, with some publications claiming that the flagship series had become up to Rs 20,000 more expensive. However, a check of Samsung India’s own store tells a different story. The Galaxy S26 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant continues to be listed at its original launch price of Rs 87,999 on Samsung’s India website.

Samsung’s own announcement earlier this year had also confirmed that the base Galaxy S26 started at Rs 87,999 in India.

This means consumers should be careful before treating the widely reported Rs 20,000 increase as an officially confirmed price revision.

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Where Did The Samsung Galaxy S26 Price Hike Reports Come From?

The Rs 20,000 price-hike story originated from a claim attributed to tipster Abhishek Yadav. Reports suggested that the entire Galaxy S26 range would become more expensive, with the base Galaxy S26 allegedly moving from Rs 87,999 to Rs 1,07,999.

The same claim suggested that the Galaxy S26+ would rise from Rs 1,19,999 to Rs 1,39,999, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra would move from Rs 1,39,999 to Rs 1,59,999 for its entry-level configuration.

Crucially, it should be noted that Samsung had not officially communicated the alleged price changes. At the time of its update, Samsung’s website had also not been changed to reflect the reported prices.

What About The Separate Rs 12,000 Galaxy S26 Price Hike Claim?

The Rs 20,000 figure was not the only number circulating online.

A separate report based on another tipster claim suggested that the standard Galaxy S26 could receive a Rs 12,000 increase. Under that scenario, the 12GB + 256GB variant would move from Rs 87,999 to Rs 99,999, while the 12GB + 512GB version would rise from Rs 1,07,999 to Rs 1,19,999.

Several publications subsequently reported this Rs 12,000 figure as an impending price increase, with September 20 cited as the proposed effective date. However, these reports were again based on reported information rather than an official Samsung price announcement.

Samsung’s own India store remains the more relevant reference point for checking the company’s retail pricing. The official Galaxy S26 buy page continues to list the 256GB and 512GB storage configurations, while Samsung’s original India announcement established the base model’s Rs 87,999 starting price.

There is another important wrinkle. SamMobile, which also examined the Rs 20,000 claim, reported that the document cited in connection with that story was later identified as fake or incorrect.

Fact Check: Has Samsung Officially Increased Galaxy S26 Prices?

There is currently no basis to present the reported Rs 20,000 increase as an officially confirmed Samsung price hike.

Samsung’s official India store does not support the reported Rs 1,07,999 price for the Galaxy S26 12GB + 256GB configuration. The phone’s original official starting price was Rs 87,999, and Samsung’s own store continues to be the key reference for its current listed pricing.

That distinction matters because a leaked price sheet, tipster claim or retailer-level pricing change is not equivalent to an official manufacturer price revision.

The reports themselves also demonstrate why the story became confusing. One set of reports pointed to a Rs 20,000 increase, another pointed to Rs 12,000, and the alleged effective dates differed. Samsung, meanwhile, had not issued a corresponding public announcement confirming either figure.

For now, the safer conclusion is that the widely reported Galaxy S26 price hike remains unsubstantiated by Samsung’s official pricing information.

Apple Really Did Increase Prices Of Older iPhones In India

The Samsung situation should not be confused with Apple’s recent pricing changes.

Apple has actually increased the prices of several existing iPhone models in India following the launch of its latest generation. Apple’s current India store lists the iPhone 17 starting at Rs 99,900. The iPhone Air starts at Rs 1,49,900, while the iPhone 16 starts at Rs 89,900 and the iPhone 17e at Rs 79,900.

The iPhone 17 provides the clearest example. Apple originally announced the model at a starting price of Rs 82,900 in India in September 2025. Its current official India price is Rs 99,900, representing a Rs 17,000 increase from the original launch price.

The change was unusual because Apple traditionally reduces the price of older-generation models after launching newer iPhones. This time, several existing models became more expensive instead. NDTV Profit also reported the increases across the iPhone 16, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17 and iPhone Air lineups.

Apple has now launched the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, as well as the new iPhone Duo, making the current pricing structure particularly notable. Apple’s official India store currently lists the iPhone 18 Pro from Rs 1,64,900 and the iPhone Duo from Rs 2,99,900.

What Consumers Need To Know

For anyone considering a Galaxy S26 in India, the key point is simple: do not assume that the phone has suddenly become Rs 12,000 or Rs 20,000 more expensive based solely on the reports circulating online.

Samsung’s official India store remains the appropriate source for the manufacturer’s listed price, and its original announcement puts the Galaxy S26 starting price at Rs 87,999.

There may still be changes to Samsung’s pricing in the future. Reports about rising memory and component costs have fuelled speculation around smartphone price increases, and Samsung has already faced price-related changes across parts of its smartphone portfolio. But speculation about a future price revision should not be reported as an actual price increase until the revised price is reflected by Samsung or otherwise independently verified.

For now, the viral Rs 20,000 Galaxy S26 price-hike claim does not match Samsung’s official India pricing.