New European pricing for Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup has surfaced from a reputable French source, and it brings a mixed bag for buyers. The standard S26 and S26 Plus look set for meaningful hikes, while the S26 Ultra appears to hold steady at last generation’s sticker. If accurate, the leak sketches a clear picture of where Samsung intends to push value this cycle—and where it won’t budge.
What the latest Galaxy S26 European price leak reveals
Dealabs, a track record outlet for prelaunch retail pricing in Europe, lists the Galaxy S26 at €999 for 256GB in France, with no 128GB model mentioned. That’s a €40 bump over the S25’s 256GB configuration. The S26 Plus reportedly climbs by €100 versus the S25 Plus, pointing to a new entry tag of around €1,269 for its base configuration. Meanwhile, the 256GB Galaxy S26 Ultra is tipped to stick at €1,469—unchanged generation over generation.
In short, the bad news is a pricier path to the S26 and S26 Plus. The good news is stability at the top end, where Ultra loyalists avoid yet another jump—and may benefit from a larger performance or camera uplift without an MSRP penalty.
Why Galaxy S26 European prices might be rising this year
Component dynamics are doing a lot of the talking. TrendForce has flagged tight DRAM supply as chipmakers divert capacity to lucrative AI-focused HBM, lifting contract prices by double digits across multiple quarters. NAND flash has also been in a cyclical rebound. Those shifts ripple into phone bills of materials, especially when OEMs standardize on higher storage and memory tiers.
There’s also the storage story. If Samsung truly drops a 128GB S26 in favor of a 256GB baseline, the perceived entry price naturally rises. And European retail pricing is VAT-inclusive; France’s 20% VAT and slight differences across the Eurozone mean small country-to-country variances are normal even when core pricing aligns.
How the leaked S26 pricing compares to the last generation
Relative to the S25 series, the leaked €999 for the 256GB S26 is roughly a 4% increase over the S25’s €959 for the same capacity. The S26 Plus at around €1,269 represents about a 9% bump from the S25 Plus’s €1,169 entry. The Ultra, by contrast, remains pegged at €1,469, signaling a deliberate decision to preserve its sticker while potentially drawing buyers toward the top model.
Context matters: last cycle, some markets still offered 128GB on the base model at a lower nominal price. Removing that rung compresses the lineup higher, which will make comparisons feel starker even if the base experience improves.
What the leaked S26 pricing could mean for buyers in Europe
If you’re eyeing the Ultra, the status quo is the win here. Samsung tends to sweeten early purchases with trade-in bonuses, storage upgrades, or accessory bundles, which can offset list prices at launch. Expect carriers to layer on their own incentives, especially around 24- or 36-month plans.
For S26 and S26 Plus shoppers, the calculus is sharper. The higher tag could be justified by more RAM, expanded on-device AI features, or improved cameras—but last-gen S25 deals will likely intensify as retailers clear shelves. If you don’t need the latest silicon, the outgoing models could deliver better value per euro in the short term.
What we still don’t know about Galaxy S26 EU pricing
Final country-level pricing, carrier-specific promotions, and full storage/RAM permutations remain unconfirmed. We also haven’t seen how Samsung will position higher tiers like 512GB and 1TB, where memory costs bite hardest. Historically, European MSRPs leaked by retail channels land close to the mark, but small adjustments can happen at announcement.
Bottom line: if the Dealabs figures stick, Samsung is nudging the mainstream models up while freezing the Ultra. That’s the bad news and the good news—depending entirely on where you were planning to land in the S26 range.
