Top tech executives rarely use massive trade shows like CES for high-stakes, last-minute negotiations. Yet, a recent report confirms an exception. Samsung Electronics President TM Roh will hold an urgent meeting with Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra right at the start of CES 2026. This is far from a casual industry greeting. It’s more like a negotiation-focused talk aimed at securing the supply of LPDDR5X mobile DRAM—the high-speed memory crucial for Samsung’s upcoming products, like the Galaxy S26 flagship phone lineup.
The global semiconductor market is currently having a hard time because there isn’t enough DRAM. Memory providers are focusing on meeting the needs of the AI server segment , which is growing unstoppably. This segment is especially memory-hungry and has higher margins. This change means that traditional consumer goods like smartphones have to fight hard for a limited supply.
Samsung’s TM Roh to meets Micron CEO: Avoiding Galaxy S26 price jump?
Because of this high demand from the AI sector, memory prices have gone up a lot . Reports say that the price of LPDDR5X DRAM needed for the S26 series has gone up from about $30 earlier this year to $70 recently. To make things even more difficult for negotiators, big suppliers like Micron and Samsung’s own memory division are now signing quarterly contracts instead of long-term supply agreements (LTAs). This type of short-term contract lets memory providers make the most money by quickly responding to price increases. But it makes things much pricier and uncertain for buyers like Samsung’s Mobile eXperience (MX) Division.
The rapidly increasing price of mobile DRAM, when combined with already rising costs for high-end chips, puts Samsung under financial pressure.
Impact on the galaxy S26 and consumers
In the end, consumers will likely feel the greatest impact from the current tech landscape. Industry sources suggest that the situation makes it highly probable that buyers will face a price increase for the Galaxy S26 series compared to the previous generation.
According to reports, Samsung’s MX Division has tried to lessen the financial burden internally. The business has made some changes, like “nerfing” some key specs that were supposed to be improved in the S26. But even these changes might not be enough to keep the price of the last generation.
