Price increases in the smartphone market have now become an unstoppable trend. As Apple announces a price adjustment for the next iPhone, the psychological margin of price increases that has been holding Samsung Electronics in check is breaking down. In particular, premium product lines such as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 are bearing the brunt of pressure to increase the prices of key components such as high-performance APs and large-capacity memory. To offset this cost burden, Samsung is seeking to adjust prices and dualize its lineup, focusing on high-capacity models. This is not a simple price increase, but a strategic choice by Samsung MX Division to redefine the value of the product and protect profitability.

The nature of hardware competition is also changing. Recently, while Chinese manufacturers are accelerating the spec competition by installing large-capacity batteries of 10,000 mAh or more, Samsung Electronics is also rushing to commercialize silicon carbon battery technology. As revealed in a survey of travelers' smartphone usage, battery anxiety is one of the biggest factors hindering the user experience. Rather than simply increasing battery capacity, Samsung Electronics is focusing on resolving inconveniences in travel and daily life in general through software innovations such as AI-based information summarization, photo editing, and real-time interpretation. This highlights Samsung's will to overcome the physical limitations of hardware with software capabilities called AI.

‘Connected care’, which goes beyond the connection between devices, is the core of the next-generation healthcare vision presented by Samsung Electronics. The huge ecosystem built around SmartThings and Samsung Health now aims for proactive preventative management beyond the treatment of diseases. As emphasized at ‘VivaTech 2026’, Europe’s largest tech fair, Samsung is expanding the scope of health care to everyday life outside of hospitals through open collaboration with partners such as Xealth. In particular, we are creating a virtuous cycle in the ecosystem by safely protecting sensitive health data based on the Knox security platform and providing open SDK to developers.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics is stimulating consumers’ purchasing sentiment through unprecedented refund benefits such as the ‘Gratitude Festival’. With the justification of returning semiconductor achievements to society, we are providing reasonable consumption opportunities to consumers who have closed their wallets due to chip inflation. This is not simply an event to process inventory, but a strategy to tie customers into Samsung's ecosystem for the long term through services such as the AI ​​subscription club. By conveying the message that now is the right time to consumers who are considering purchasing the latest flagship, the intention is to maintain a solid market share until the launch of a new product next year.