The results of RAMageddon have moved past the impossibility of constructing a gaming PC. Worth hikes are hitting virtually each gadget you could possibly moderately anticipate finding in your native Finest Purchase. Laptops, tablets, gaming consoles — if it’s received reminiscence and a storage drive, it’s most likely going up in value, and sadly, that’s true for smartphones too.
Smartphone makers, nonetheless, are discovering themselves in a singular place. Somewhat than elevating prices on current {hardware} like Sony’s PS5 or Samsung’s lineup of Galaxy Books, the fixed churn of the cell trade has allowed new, almost unchanged {hardware} to launch at increased costs that fake to ship upgrades. These increased costs are coming into battle with some of the irritating developments of this decade: the cell trade’s full stagnation on {hardware} innovation. It’s an issue that feels notably constricting in case you reside in North America, the place competitors is already restricted to only a handful of manufacturers.
In 2026, smartphone upgrades barely rely as upgrades in any respect
Over the previous few months, product launches that might’ve in any other case appeared like some other boring iterative replace have as a substitute turn out to be dominated by value discussions. The Galaxy S26 sequence is probably essentially the most insulated from controversy; whereas I actually don’t assume the bottom or Plus fashions are completely different sufficient from their predecessors to justify $100 value hikes, protecting the Extremely — you realize, the mannequin everybody really buys — unchanged allowed those that would’ve in any other case complained the loudest to breathe a sigh of reduction.
The identical can’t be stated for Motorola, maybe the guiltiest of all North American manufacturers. The corporate’s latest Razr trio arrived with value hikes as much as $200, whereas altering virtually nothing however their respective battery capacities. The bottom mannequin even will get a storage downgrade to only 128GB, whereas the $1,500 Razr Extremely loses out on its 1TB providing from final 12 months — you realize, the one presently on sale for almost half off. Motorola additionally lately issued value hikes on current {hardware} timed with the arrival of this 12 months’s Moto G Stylus, seemingly to supply cowl for these costlier costs in head-to-head comparisons. That Moto G Stylus, by the way in which, is borderline an identical, with successfully simply UFS 3.1 and a 200mAh battery bump to point out for its elevated prices.
Samsung, for its half, didn’t simply increase costs on its Galaxy S26 trio. Its newest Galaxy A37 and A57 arrived with $50 value hikes over the fashions they’re changing, pushing the extra premium of the pair above the Pixel 10a and its identical-price-for-identical-specs launch. To be honest, each did obtain enhancements over their predecessors — one thing that may’t be stated for Google’s gadget — however that hasn’t stopped Samsung’s total funds sequence from slowly ballooning in value. The A37 now exists within the house as soon as occupied by the A57’s predecessors.
However Samsung has actually adopted each value hike technique out there, like when it obscured rising costs on the upper storage tiers of its flagship foldables whereas protecting the bottom mannequin’s value unchanged. It additionally discontinued the Galaxy Z TriFold weeks after launch, presumably to keep away from elevating the worth on {hardware} that already pushed past $3,000 at checkout. Regardless of seemingly excessive demand (or, on the very least, sufficient demand for no matter models existed), the first-gen TriFold now resides in a world of scalpers, scammers, and collectors.
With rising costs and unchanged {hardware}, improved software program help is our solely saving grace
So, in a area like North America the place the one factor new about most of those telephones are their costlier value tags, it’s price reevaluating your priorities when purchasing for a brand new gadget. It’s not simply concerning the “newest and biggest,” largely as a result of this 12 months’s newest tends to be virtually unchanged from final 12 months’s biggest. A boring 12 months for {hardware} crossed with elevated pricing may sound terrible for shoppers on paper, if not for one saving grace: prolonged software program help insurance policies.
Let’s take Samsung’s Galaxy S26 for example. In a comparability with the S25, this 12 months’s mannequin is undoubtedly the winner. You’ll pay $100 greater than last-gen, certain, however you rating a sooner processor, a bigger battery, and a much bigger display. Besides, the Galaxy S25 is not provided at its unique $800 MSRP — it’s out there unlocked from storefronts like Walmart for as little as $570. All of the sudden, no matter minute adjustments made to the usual S26 appear like desk stakes; why wouldn’t you purchase the cheaper, near-identical gadget?
This has all the time been true to some extent, in fact. The S24 was nonetheless out there in a post-S25 world, that includes reductions that made it a comparatively compelling alternative. However in 2026, the hole between the marked down last-gen mannequin and the shiny new launch has grown deeper, with simply these few variations I outlined above to assist salve any frustrations. Put one other manner, the improve value between the year-old Galaxy S24 and its successor mannequin was about $200. This 12 months, it’s $300 or extra.
It wasn’t too way back that replace insurance policies can be the last word X issue on this determination, with lovers selecting newer fashions with a view to guarantee prolonged software program help. Nevertheless, Google and Samsung have provided seven-year replace insurance policies on their respective flagships for a number of generations now, dropping out on the closing gross sales pitch that might push Android lovers to spend extra upfront for an extended lifespan. Positive, that Galaxy S25 will cease seeing upgrades a full calendar 12 months previous to the Galaxy S26, however once we’re evaluating 2032 to 2033, it doesn’t precisely go away the identical influence that shorter improve cycles did prior to now.
No matter adjustments Samsung made to the Galaxy S26 appear like desk stakes; why wouldn’t you purchase the cheaper, near-identical gadget?
These conversations are harder with a model like Motorola, which is successfully being dragged into an period of longer software program help insurance policies by its closest competitors. Even with costs beginning as excessive as $1,500, the most recent Razr trio nonetheless solely provides three OS upgrades paired with 5 years of month-to-month patches. One way or the other, this nonetheless manages to qualify as an enchancment over final 12 months’s 3-and-3 promise.
Sadly for Motorola, paying extra for these telephones looks like including insult to damage. There’s solely a lot management a model like Motorola has over unstable part pricing, but when Motorola goes to go away its budget-friendly standing behind and go for units pushing in the direction of $2,000, it must again these costs up with a severe dedication to frequent, well timed, and prolonged software program updates.
The corporate clearly understands this on some degree. Its $1,900 Razr Fold guarantees seven OS upgrades and 7 years of (bi-monthly) safety patches, successfully matching Samsung and Google on all however the cadence of its common releases. However to reiterate, none of its clamshells come near that longevity. And in case you’re already taking a look at delayed launch cycles — one thing Motorola is notorious for — then why not save as a lot as 50% in your subsequent cellphone? If aftersales help feels virtually non-existent, you may as properly avoid wasting money in your remaining buy.
This hole between generational pricing isn’t going to exist eternally, although. At the moment’s costs aren’t yesterday’s costs, and the identical will maintain true when 2027 {hardware} rolls round. These product launches are setting a brand new ground for future reductions to be constructed off of, which means subsequent 12 months’s gross sales will probably look extra like what was thought of “full value” simply two years in the past. However for so long as year-old {hardware} stays reflective of year-old reminiscence pricing, you’d be doing your self a disservice to not contemplate something launched in 2025 proper alongside their successors.
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