Industry gossip told Sedaily that Samsung’s semiconductor division, DS, has refused to provide the Mobile Experience division with more than a year’s worth of DRAM for upcoming Galaxy phones. DS is prioritising profitability, leaving the handset team scrambling for scraps. With the Galaxy S26 pencilled in for February 2026, this is the sort of internal squabble that can end with a fat price sticker on the flagship.

The price of 12GB LPDDR5X RAM hit $70 in November, which is more than double the $33 charged at the start of the year. Sedaily’s sources said that instead of a comfortable long-term contract, DS now intends to push MX into quarterly renegotiations. That means MX will need to beg for memory every three months as prices keep climbing. The rift grew so messy that senior Samsung suits had to step in to calm everyone down.

Talks helped only a little. MX managed to secure DRAM for the fourth quarter and nothing beyond that. The DS division is entirely within its rights to turn down MX because it wants to exploit the memory shortage for richer deals elsewhere. It sees rising demand as a once-in-a-while chance to goose the numbers.

A senior researcher reckons Samsung’s operating profit could hit $69 billion in 2026, driven by rising DRAM and NAND prices and improved 2nm GAA yields. Samsung hopes to get its foundry unit into the black by 2027, which means making tough calls, including telling its handset team to join the queue behind more lucrative clients.

The big trade-off is that the Galaxy S26 range may end up pricier, which risks dampening sales. Punters may not take too much pain since Samsung usually slaps discounts on its flagship phones a couple of months after launch, which keeps the grumbling to a manageable level.