A stronger rand has helped offset the effect of higher prices for the S26 series, according Samsung's Justin Hume.

TechCentral

Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 series in South Africa at slightly higher prices than the S25, reversing a downward pricing trend. The increase is attributed to a global RAM shortage caused by suppliers shifting production to high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI data centre workloads. However, a stronger rand has shielded South African consumers from steeper hikes seen in other markets like Dubai, where some manufacturers raised prices 20–30% or more. Samsung's position as the world's largest DRAM producer (36.6% market share in Q4 2025) gives it a supply-chain advantage over competitors. New DRAM fabrication capacity is not expected online until late 2027 or early 2028, meaning the shortage could persist.

Samsung S26 launch – rand helps shield South Africans from bigger price hikes

Read: Stolen phone? Samsung now buys you an hour to lock it down

Read: The era of (relatively) cheap computers is over