Galaxy S26 Ultra set for February rollout: Pricing, trade-in deals

• Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Rollout set during the Unpacked Launch Event: February 25, 2026

• Pre-orders: Begin February 26, 2026

• Retail release/general sale: March 11, 2026

• Release day:  March 11 release date falls on a Wednesday, breaking Samsung's traditional Friday release trend to avoid Friday the 13th.

• Features: Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 60W wired charging, and a 5,000mAh battery. 

Pricing leaked

As for the leaked price freeze, that sounds like great news.

The reported price point is based on the multiple tech media leaks, including from users @SPYGO19726, @jukan05, and @TheGalox_.

They all suggest the Galaxy S26 Ultra will launch with a starting price of $1,299 (in the US). This matches the launch price of the previous model, keeping the price flat despite rising component costs. 

Changes to know

According to a new report from South Korea–based iNews24, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to debut at $1,299 in the US, matching the S25 Ultra when it was released.

Forbes, quoting tech media leaks, reported that the Galaxy S26 Plus will come with "minimal changes" vs its predecessor.

This could mean:

• Don’t expect major upgrades over the S25 Plus.

• The S26 Plus is rumoured to have a 6.66-inch display, slightly smaller than the S25 Plus’s 6.7-inch screen.

• Samsung considered a new OLED panel from the cancelled Galaxy S26 Edge but ultimately stuck with a display similar to the previous generation.

Price increase?

Samsung executives earlier warned that rising memory costs could force higher prices.

For example, Co-CEO TM Roh said price increases may be “inevitable.”

Global marketing president Wonjin Lee confirmed Samsung may need to reprice Galaxy S26 models despite efforts to avoid passing costs to consumers.

In a world where everything is getting more expensive, a price freeze (if true) for the S26 would be genuinely impressive.

While no price hike means Samsung is holding the line, here’s the catch: They’re not doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.

There’s a reason — and it’s not a good one.

Cost of RAM

The problem is RAM. Specifically, the cost of LPDDR5X RAM, which the Galaxy S26 Ultra uses, is reportedly set to triple.

The culprit: The AI boom.

Companies building AI models need high-bandwidth memory and server-grade DDR5 chips, and manufacturers like Micron are prioritizing those components over the mobile RAM smartphones rely on.

That puts Samsung in a corner.

RAM costs are skyrocketing, but raising the phone’s price would cause major backlash. Phone makers still need to make a profit, so if costs go up and prices stay flat, something has to give.

The pre-order bonuses gone?

If you’ve ever pre-ordered a Samsung flagship, you know the routine. Samsung throws everything at you to lock in day-one buyers.

The big one is the double-storage upgrade — pay for 256GB and get bumped to 512GB for free.

That’s a $100 to $200 value, gone.

Trade-in deals

Then there are the trade-in deals.

Samsung has been famously generous, sometimes covering almost the entire cost of a new phone depending on what you trade in.

Add to that other freebees:

• Galaxy Buds

• Discounted Galaxy Watches,

• Large Galaxy Store credits for accessories like cases and chargers

So far, the tech media leaks point to a scaling back of those perks. Reason: Samsung needs to tighten the belt somewhere, and this is the easiest place to do it.

If you're the type who goes for bundle deals, this may be a bit of a downer.

These bonuses are a huge reason people upgrade, and they help keep users locked into the Samsung ecosystem.

If Samsung pulls back on these offers, it risks customer loyalty just to maintain that original S25 Plus price point.

Colours

As for colours, Samsung is doing something interesting with the S26 Ultra— and people are clearly into it. Apparently, bold smartphone colours making a comeback.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is launching in six colours:

• Black

• White

• Sky blue

• Cobalt violet

• Silver shadow

• Pink gold

The first four are standard launch colours, while silver shadow and pink gold are expected to be online exclusives.

A recent poll asked which color people would actually buy, and the results were telling. Only 11% chose white. Sky blue pulled in 23%, black got 29%, but cobalt violet dominated with nearly 36%.

That’s a big shift.

Black and white have ruled for years, but now people want bold, flashy colours. Samsung isn’t alone either — Apple is doing something similar with the iPhone 17 lineup, including a cosmic orange Pro model and purple and green options on the base iPhone 17.

Even the white Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to be much brighter than the muted shades seen in recent years.

But there’s a difference between voting for cobalt violet in a poll and actually buying it.

Hardware

Here’s what’s changing on the Galaxy S26 Ultra hardware-wise.

Processor: Upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, up from the 8 Elite. Display: It remains a QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel (slightly smaller from to 6.66-inch display), but it now uses an M14 panel instead of M13 and adds a new privacy mode.

Camera, memory speed, charging

Camera upgrades include a bump in the 3x telephoto from 10MP to 12MP, a wider main camera aperture moving from f/1.7 to f/1.4 for better low-light performance, and a wider aperture on the 5x telephoto, going from f/3.4 to f/2.9. Shooting modes now include 12, 24, 50, and 200 megapixels, adding a new 24MP option.

RAM is increasing globally to 12GB or 16GB, up from just 12GB, and memory speeds jump from 8.5Gbps to 10.7Gbps.

Charging is also improved, with 60W wired charging up from 45W, and 25W wireless charging up from 15W. Qi2-integrated magnets are finally included.

Design, form factor

Design-wise, the phone is getting thinner at 7.9mm instead of 8.2mm, and the selfie camera’s field of view is expanding from 80 degrees to 85 degrees.

Overall, these are solid upgrades across the board.

Bottom line

If the Galaxy S26 Ultra stays at $1,299, that would be good news indeed.

But the RAM shortage likely means fewer pre-order bonuses, which is bad news.

If you count on storage upgrades, trade-in deals, and accessory bundles to justify upgrading, this year could be disappointing.

If you just want the phone at a stable price and don’t care about the extras, you’re in good shape.

As for colours, cobalt violet is clearly the people’s choice — and the return of bold, flashy smartphone designs is a plus.

Question is: Would you upgrade to the Galaxy S26 Ultra at $1,299 if the pre-order bonuses are gone?