The Samsung Galaxy S26 series could launch very soon, with rumors suggesting it might be here as soon as January. Not all sources agree, with some earlier leaks pointing to a March launch instead, but either way the wait should be over before too long.

But the launch of these phones isn’t notable just for those who are waiting for Samsung’s next flagships – it could also be of interest to anyone who has their eye on a Samsung Galaxy S25, a Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, a Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, or a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

After all, you might logically assume that prices for these phones would drop once their successors appear. But will they? And how much by? While we don’t have definitive answers, we can look at past form to take an educated guess.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S25 series likely to drop in price?

The short answer to this question is yes – new models tend to mean reduced prices for the previous models, so either immediately after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series or soon after, there’s a high chance we’ll see price cuts for the Galaxy S25 series.

And by ‘price cuts’ we mean potentially both official price cuts from Samsung and reduced pricing from third-party retailers like Amazon.

However, there’s a big caveat to this in that sooner or later these phones will probably be discontinued. For example, right now in the UK, you can’t buy the Samsung Galaxy S24 direct from Samsung anymore – though some third-party retailers do still list it new.

This isn’t likely to happen immediately though – even if Samsung stops producing phones in the Galaxy S25 series, it will still need to sell through any stock it has. So you should have time to grab one, you just might not want to wait too long after the Galaxy S26’s launch to do so.

The other thing to note with any price cuts is that you don’t necessarily need to wait for the Galaxy S26 series to launch in order to get one of the current models at a reduced price.

Retailers often reduce phone prices over time regardless of new models landing, and indeed the Samsung Galaxy S25 series can already sometimes be found for less than its MSRP (Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price), especially during major sales periods.

How much of a price cut can you expect?

Based on past form, there’s a good chance the Samsung Galaxy S25 series might be reduced by around $100 / £100 / AU$150 when the Galaxy S26 series launches.

That would mean the Galaxy S25 itself could start at roughly $699 / £699 / AU$1,249, the Galaxy S25 Plus at $899 / £899 / AU$1,549, the Galaxy S25 Edge at $999 / £999 / AU$1,699, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra at $1,199 / £1,149 / AU$1,999.

We’re talking about the MSRP here, with third-party stores likely to offer more varied reductions, but on average they could be in the same ballpark or may sell the phones for even less.

That said, there’s a major caveat this year in that RAM prices have been rapidly rising, due to demands from AI data centres. This is affecting the price of RAM for all devices, including smartphones, which might mean Samsung and other retailers aren’t able to knock as much money off the price of their older phones. For now that’s just speculation, but it’s worth bearing in mind that this isn’t a typical year.

It’s also worth noting that there’s a chance the Galaxy S25 Edge won’t be reduced even if the other models are, since leaks suggest there won’t be a Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge, so it might not be directly replaced by a new phone.

When might we see bigger price drops?

If we see any big price drops for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series ahead of the S26’s launch it will almost certainly be during the holiday sales in late December and early January, so it’s worth keeping any eye out for any deals then.

If you see one of these phones reduced by $100 / £100 / AU$150 or more, then it’s probably worth picking it up, as there’s no guarantee the reduction will be as big when the Samsung Galaxy S26 line lands.

There may also be bigger reductions during sale periods after the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, but since the S25 line might soon be discontinued, we don’t recommend holding out for those, unless you’re happy with a refurbished handset.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.