Before the Galaxy S26 series landed, a leak revealed that Samsung was prioritizing production of the Galaxy S26 Ultra over the other two units. That strategy appears to have paid off with record-breaking pre-order numbers.
According to the Korea Herald, Samsung's Galaxy S26 series hit a record 1.35 million pre-orders in a seven-day period. That beats the Galaxy S25's 1.3 million pre-orders in 11 days, which held the previous record. Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy S26 Ultra accounted for 70% of those pre-orders.
It's not uncommon for the most premium handset in a smartphone range to be the most popular, but the gap between the units is hard to ignore. Samsung has been battling with how to deal with price rises for the last six months as the memory chip crisis deepens; it ultimately settled on keeping the price of the Ultra unit the same as the Galaxy S25, while raising the cost of the base and Plus units.
Alongside the Ultra-exclusive privacy display, higher trade-in prices, and only using the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the Ultra unit (in select markets), Samsung has gently ushered buyers towards the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and it has worked.
We'll have to see if that interest is sustained over the coming months as the Galaxy S26 series goes on sale, but this early data is obviously good news for the company and other manufacturers eyeing price rises in 2026 because of the global memory chip crisis. But is it good news for smartphone buyers?
There Are Still Price Questions To Answer For The Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung is an aggressive discounter. From gift cards and enhanced trade-in prices to free hardware giveaways and huge price cuts on its flagship tech, the company isn't shy about undercutting the competition.
But if the memory chip crisis continues, and the cost of producing these phones remains higher because of it, will Samsung continue these promotions? If the company can break pre-order records with higher prices and fewer deals, would it still want to -- or need to -- discount aggressively?
Samsung's plans will be fluid. Leaks before the Galaxy S26 series landed said the Korean company was still deciding on pricing up until the 11th hour; I was told something similar by a Samsung rep too a few weeks before launch. The Korean company is likely still waiting to see how memory prices change and will respond accordingly.
It would be a huge change of direction if Samsung stopped offering its wide range of discounts, but don't be surprised if they're not as generous as before. Losing the double storage deal in the U.S. is a big omission from this year's Galaxy S26 pre-order playbook.
We may not see the same $440 discount the Galaxy S25 Ultra received last November again, but I suspect there will be more bundle offers and free hardware giveaways at a minimum, especially as the launch hype dies down for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.