Prices go up. It's simply a fact of life, but there's a difference between necessary and expected price increases — like inflation — and corporate price hikes. Over the past decade, it has become harder and harder to tell the difference between the two in the smartphone industry. Sale prices for phones across all price points are rising. It's an unfortunate trend for our wallets that, by all indications, won't get any better when Samsung officially unveils its upcoming Galaxy S25 series next year.
For context, Samsung might be one of the worst offenders when it comes to outrageous smartphone pricing. The current Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the most expensive non-foldable flagship Android phone on the market in the U.S. today, with a retail price of $1,299. The prior Galaxy S23 Ultra was cheaper, but Samsung axed the cheaper model with reduced RAM this year, and thus the cost is higher.
