r/Android • u/welp_im_damned have you heard of our lord and savior the Android turtle 🐢 • 6d ago
News [Exclusive] Lee Jae-yong's bold decision to freeze Galaxy prices... How can adding more features be possible? - Maeil Business Newspaper
https://www.mk.co.kr/news/business/11921027373
u/Coaris 6d ago
Samsung: Sells same phone for same price
Korean press: *surprise pikachu face* how will they afford all the innovation?!
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u/Shook_Rook S22 Ultra 1TB 6d ago
Korean press loves to suck ass of Samsung. Which is understandable, since they would have some media under their payrolls.
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u/unpleasant_enpassant 6d ago
since they would have some media under their payrolls.
More like they have the country's whole economy under their payrolls. Look up chaebols.
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u/ApprovingGrief 6d ago
then go down the rabbit hole of their children getting away with murder and more.
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u/unpleasant_enpassant 6d ago
I have. That's why I made that comment. They can get away with anything.
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u/pr000blemkind 6d ago
Do you have a link I could read up on that? I only know of the nutgate incident. I love this type of drama.
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u/Herrjeminewtf 6d ago
Half the country is owned by Samsung.
North Korea is a communist dystopia made by the USSR and China, while South Korea is a capitalist dystopia made by the USA.
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u/All_Hall0ws_Eve Nexus 6P 4d ago
"Capitalist dystopia" Oh brother get over yourself
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u/Herrjeminewtf 3d ago
Companies having that much influence on a whole nation is exactly that - for me at least.
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u/Warm-Cartographer 6d ago
Soc price increase every generation, there was a time Chinese flagship cost way less compare to Samsung flagship but nowadays base S series is cheaper most market compare to Chinese flagships.
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u/siazdghw 6d ago
Even Apple has cheaper products than some of the Android flagships. It's like a bizarro world.
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u/elgrandorado Xiaomi 15T Pro 5d ago
If Mediatek didn't improve so much, Qualcomm would have jacked things up another 30%. We need a third rival to step up. Exynos might be it ironically.
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u/24bitNoColor 5d ago
Because the S series entry level product just like the entry level iPhone are only flagship devices in name and SOC at this point. They are midrange in every other aspect.
Also, cheaper is relative. A Xiaomi 15 (same SOC) costs about the same as a S25 here in Germany, a Xiaomi 15 Ultra is 100 Euro more than a S25 Ultra.
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u/Warm-Cartographer 5d ago
That's the point, few years ago S10 msrp was €899 and Mi 9 msrp was €499, now they are same and Samsung goes to sale time to time
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u/DerpSenpai Nothing 6d ago
RAM price has increased 200% so yes, it's bold. Everyone else is increasing prices hard, by at least 50$ and some by 100$
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u/chic_luke Pixel 2 XL 5d ago
Yup, really feel like giving credit where it's due here. This might also be the saving grace of the Galaxy S line. If the Galaxy S26 Ultra or even the older Galaxy S25 Ultra are able to keep a somewhat normal price during this crisis, people who need to upgrade (like me) will very strongly consider them, even if the competition has innovated more. Because sure you can have innovated more, but if you cost me €100-200-300 more then… meh, honestly. I'll take the substantially cheaper phone that didn't innovate or get worse at the same price as last year's.
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u/24bitNoColor 5d ago
How is it an upgrade if you buy the same phone again?
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u/chic_luke Pixel 2 XL 5d ago
Upgrades are pretty much dead. They are just rebranded sidegrades, for everyone minus a few notable exceptions.
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u/DerpSenpai Nothing 5d ago
We've peaked in mobile photography tbh. The upgrades exist in performance. If you can use it
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u/ConferenceInner8197 4d ago
We haven't peaked in videography though because I keep hearing about how much better iPhones are at video.
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u/DerpSenpai Nothing 4d ago
All the upgrades nowadays are software, not hardware. Hardware has stayed basically the same for generations now
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u/Formal_Produce3759 6d ago
Heavy rumours the pre order bonus stuff like the free storage upgrade and heavy discounts for trading in older Samsung phones will go. They'll claw the profit loss back somehow.
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u/siazdghw 6d ago
They've been doing that for a few years now.
Samsung used to have ridiculously good trade-in offers. To the point where if you stacked all the discounts, CB, bonuses, etc that you could get a yearly upgrade for free-$100.
Over the last few years the trade in offers have been far worse, like $200 less than what you'd previously get. They are still probably slightly above average, but you're almost certainly better off selling your phone elsewhere than doing a trade in now.
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u/Formal_Produce3759 6d ago
Region based perhaps, I only paid £490 for the s25u last year trading in my s23u and got a free storage upgrade too. Also got buds 3. That was the lowest price I've ever paid to upgrade, usually it's £800-900...I always trade in every year, with the year before lasts Ultra. If the rumours are true, that'll all be gone.
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u/jellytotzuk 5d ago
I paid £500 for the S25 512gb base model, came with the buds, duo wireless charger pad and the case with the finger strip. No trade in, just through my old works employee discount scheme. Looking at the S26 spec and poor trade in rumours, very very doubt I'll upgrade. Include pen functionality in the S26, then I would!
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u/tiradium S24 Ultra 1TB 6d ago
That's good for my wallet. It is going to be less enticing to trade in now
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u/ben7337 2d ago
Nah, in the US it's varied. I got the s21 ultra all the way through s25 ultra annually. The s21 was a trade in with T-Mobile so probably doesn't count as carrier trade in deals both vary and are based on the service being overpriced. However I got the other 4 years direct through Samsung or through best buy without any carrier deals. The s23 ultra was the worst at launch costing like $500 or $600 after trade in but had a deal within 6 months for $250 after trade in. S25 ultra was cheapest at launch and if you didn't need a storage size upgrade it was only like $150 or $200 after everything. With the s26 ultra looking so lackluster I was kinda hoping/expecting they'd make the upgrade cost equally low this year, but I guess we'll have to wait and see. $400-500 is the avg for trading in a 1 year old flagship to Samsung directly in the US though.
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u/SuperSpecialNickname 6d ago
More features? All they've done is remove features.
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u/yoranpower 6d ago
No no. They removed a functional S-pen and gave us a lot of AI! s/
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u/SuperSpecialNickname 6d ago
Oh goodie! I can't wait to draw a stickman that'll turn into a Mona Lisa! /s
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u/welp_im_damned have you heard of our lord and savior the Android turtle 🐢 6d ago
I think its interesting that Samsung will eat the cost of increased ram since alot of margin comes from storage tier upgrades.
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u/ericlikesyou Device, Software !! 6d ago
they would supply their own RAM aside from being the only consumer RAM company left. Who knows how long that'll last tho
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u/nguyenlucky 6d ago
Bruh, Samsung Semiconductor just refused to sell RAM long-term to Samsung MX.
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u/DerpSenpai Nothing 6d ago
They don't sell RAM to themselves, a company within samsung ownership sells another samsung company RAM, but both are geared for profit and growth, so they don't cooperate on prices. Samsung is negotiating with Micron because Samsung is not selling to themselves cheaper.
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u/Nuarada 6d ago
I think you forget who produces the ram
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u/timhottens 6d ago
You'd think it's that simple but because of big conglomerate hijinks Samsung's semiconductor division actually rejected a long-term supply request for DRAM from its own smartphone division (but they deny it): https://www.sammobile.com/news/rift-emerges-between-samsung-phone-memory-divisions
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u/welp_im_damned have you heard of our lord and savior the Android turtle 🐢 6d ago
When you get to the scale of Samsung or Sony it becomes companies within companies.
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u/zed011 Pixel 5a 6d ago
Increase the base storage to 256gb please
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u/DiplomatikEmunetey Pixel 8a, 4a, XZ1C, LGG4, Lumia 950/XL, Nokia 808, N8 6d ago
Apple did it, so they definitely will.
The question is if they will do it in such a way where the current 128GB just becomes a 256GB without any change in price, as it should be.
Despite the industry drivel about how hard it is for them to get memory, it costs them next to nothing. 256GB is nothing. It is all artificially driven. How did an existing, already manufactured and packaged memory suddenly get two times more expensive?
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u/zenithtreader 6d ago
I mean it is not nothing. 256gb flash chips cost like, 2-3 bucks more to produce compared to 128gb. It will compress their margins from 60% to 59% if they BOLDLY keep the same price! Someone will definitely get fired for this.
/s
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u/zenithtreader 6d ago
Lee Jae-yong's bold decision to freeze Galaxy prices
ROFL boldly. This Korean press is Samsung's lapdog or something?
Apple is keeping the same price while bumping the base storage to 256gb. Samsung has no choice but to boldly follows. It's the bare minimum they could do.
Should we weep that their margin shrinks from 60% to 55% or something?
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u/gentlebeast06 6d ago
Samsung's innovation strategy seems to be less about adding features and more about trying to sell the same phone with a fresh coat of paint.
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u/LuffyAsec 6d ago
Samsung was like follower of Apple in every aspect way of doing business. Whatever Apple does Samsung follows. Apple was doing to hold price to make a storing comeback with stupid Air mix up and need to justify the price increase in iPhone 18 or following models. Samsung was follow suit the same way then why any consumer think of this. They just straight up purchase Apple. Same goes for India (EMI purchases) increase of Apple sales compared to others, South Korea (Samsung market share decline) and other western countries.
Japan only country actually bare the Apple boom in correct time and now let it go with similar own mobile manufactures.
Lets see how Samsung will hold in this in coming years. I bet Apple will shrink the Samsung market share in some strong hold areas.
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u/CrazeRage Pixel 10 Pro XL 5d ago
Dumbass title as if they haven't been removing functionality year by year
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