Samsung seeks to hike DRAM price by up to 20 percent in Q3 2026, and it will directly impact future phones. A new industry report has just revealed a sharp move in the components supply chain ahead of major flagship launches.

According to ZDNet, Samsung wants to raise the DRAM price in Q3 2026, 20 percent up over Q2 2026. Chinese vendors are already trimming their targets, and this move would make the situation only worsen further.

Samsung Electronics is currently negotiating with clients with the goal of raising its DRAM ASP by up to 20% in the third quarter compared to the second quarter.

Notably, Samsung saw its DRAM ASP rise by over 90 percent in Q1 2026. Costs increased further in the second quarter, around 50 to 60 percent. Now, another hike of 20 percent is being planned for the third quarter of the year.

A semiconductor industry official stated, “Samsung Electronics is taking a very aggressive stance in price negotiations for the third quarter of this year. We understand they plan to raise prices by more than 20 percent.”

Future phone shoppers will pay the price

Samsung’s DRAM move came amid the market’s set to welcome the year’s biggest flagship releases. Three foldable phones from Samsung and two high-selling iPhones, along with the first foldable iPhone from Apple, are coming.

Apple and Samsung (Mobile) have already secured DRAM for their Q3 flagships. However, future mobile devices, coming in Q4 and Q1 2027, such as the Galaxy S27 series, would face difficulties handling component cost pressure.

If Samsung’s seeking a 20% hike, South Korea’s SK Hynix may also be considering a similar move. Micron won’t leave this opportunity behind to print more money from the DRAM supplies, which were not that beneficial before.

AI boom has brought HBM to the mainstream, and memory makers are maximizing their profits through DRAM as well. The supply is already tight, and things won’t settle anytime soon, until at least the latter half of 2027.

South Korea is welcoming SK Telecom’s Samsung Galaxy Wide 9 smartphone. It follows the recent debut of the Galaxy Jump 5 by KT. Both phones are now available for purchase in South Korea from the telecom carriers’ sites and stores.

On July 3, South Korea’s SK Telecom launched the Samsung Galaxy Wide 9. This is a 5G smartphone that comes at an entry-level price tag. It costs 400,000 KRW in the market, which is approximately $260.

Samsung Galaxy Wide 9 comes with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display. It has a triple camera setup, which is dominated by a 50MP primary sensor.

The company also worked on the phone’s overall design and aesthetics. Despite packing a 5000mAh battery, the phone weighs around 192 grams and measures 7.5mm thick.

The battery can be charged through 25W wired charging. It is available in two colors: Black and Silver; customers can buy the phone starting today at SK Telecom’s online and offline stores.

Yoon Myeong-won, head of SKT Channel & Device, said, “The Galaxy Wide series is a representative value-for-money lineup that has been proven over the past 10 years with steady support from customers,” adding, “We will continue to broaden customer choice by launching a variety of devices with solid specs at reasonable prices.”

Google is dropping clues that the One UI 9.5 update may finally bring the App Lock feature to Samsung phones in 2027. Stable Android 17 is available on Pixel phones, and it doesn’t carry the feature, but a future update would do.

New findings suggest Google is working on an App Lock feature for Pixel phones. The recent Android 17 QPR1 Beta 6 update has strings related to App Lock. However, it will take a few more weeks for public availability.

Google quietly installed the tool in Android Canary 2603, but newer builds don’t retain App Lock. However, the company hasn’t completely dumped its plans to add App Lock on devices, but it’s going to take more time.

<code>&lt;string name=”app_lock_settings_promo_dialog_title”&gt;You can now add app lock to multiple apps at once in Settings&lt;/string&gt;</code>

Samsung’s One UI 9.5 is expected to be based on Android 17 QPR2. This update will be available to Pixel users by the end of the year. Galaxy S27 series may debut it as part of One UI 9.5, just like the way S26 series did with One UI 8.5.

At the current stage, Google couldn’t roll out App Lock with the next Feature Drop (via AndroidAuthority). Well, the development signals the feature will be well-tuned to actually serve its purpose of safeguarding locked apps.

<code>&lt;string name=”app_lock_settings_promo_dialog_description”&gt;Quickly add and manage app lock anytime. For extra security, you can also limit access to your apps by requiring only biometrics.&lt;/string&gt;</code>

Recent strings indicate that PIN-based App Lock can be disabled. Users could be able to opt for biometrics to unlock apps. That said, the feature is taking time for refinements, and the final version will be worth looking for.

Claude maker Anthropic has reportedly begun work on its own custom AI chip and is in talks with Samsung Electronics to manufacture it.

According to TheInformation (via SemiconductorsX), Claude creator Anthropic is exploring possibilities to develop its own custom AI chip, and Samsung may help make it happen.

For Anthropic, the logic is pretty straightforward. Claude is expensive to train and even more expensive to run at scale, and Nvidia GPUs are not exactly getting cheaper or easier to secure.

A custom chip could trim those costs, improve efficiency, and give the rising AI startup Anthropic more control over how its models behave in training and inference.

Samsung Foundry has spent years building relationships across the AI hardware ecosystem, supplying advanced chips and memory to major tech players.

Adding Anthropic to that list would fit neatly into Samsung’s broader ambition to become a more serious force in AI semiconductor manufacturing, especially as it continues competing with TSMC.

Samsung Foundry has hit a point most foundries only dream about: it can afford to say no to a chip order. Industry sources report that Samsung Electronics’ foundry division has started applying “allocation” across select processes.

Notably, Samsung Foundry is now prioritizing existing customers and taking on new orders only when the project clears a certain bar. AI accelerator demand has essentially rewritten the foundry order book.

Samsung is already fabricating Tesla’s autonomous driving chips and inference chips for Groq, alongside deepening ties with Nvidia and Google. The pipeline alone is apparently enough to push the 4nm node close to sold out through next year. Some 8nm lines are reportedly running near full tilt too.

Factories would rather concentrate on a few big wins than spread themselves thin. It’s a “few models, large volumes” mentality, and it’s the same logic TSMC has leaned on for years.

Samsung appears to be catching genuine spillover from TSMC’s own supply crunch. Companies that walked away years ago over yield concerns are reportedly circling back, either as a full switch or as a second source barrier.

A source in the design house industry said, “Starting this year, allocation has been introduced for Samsung foundry processes,” and noted, “Rather than unconditionally accepting every customer order, the mood is to select and concentrate on solid projects.”