In summary:
- Tech Advisor reports Samsung is sourcing 15 million OLED panels from China Star Optoelectronics Technology to avoid price hikes on mid-range phones.
- The Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26 FE are expected to benefit from this cost-saving strategy, which aims to save over 20% per display panel.
- This move helps Samsung maintain competitive pricing despite rising memory costs that affected Galaxy S26 pricing, keeping mid-range phones affordable for consumers.
Samsung may have saved the Galaxy A57 from a price hike by effectively betting against itself.
With the flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 range now on the market, our fears of rising smartphone prices have officially come to pass. So what now of the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26 FE phones on the horizon?
According to a new report from South Korean outlet The Elec, Samsung has taken drastic steps to head off the need to increase the price of its upcoming more affordable phones.
The report claims that Samsung’s mobile division has decided to order as many as 15 million OLED panels from China Star Optoelectronics Technology for its forthcoming mid-range phones instead of its own Samsung Display company.
These will reportedly start with the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S26 FE.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Apparently, by going with CSOT for a substantial portion of its screens, Samsung could be set to save upwards of 20% per display panel on its forthcoming mid-range phone refresh. This has apparently sparked some internal conflict with Samsung Display, which has just lost a big chunk of orders, but it should benefit the final user.
“Memory prices can’t be negotiated down, but displays have some alternatives, so there’s a push to cut panel costs wherever possible,” one industry official told The Elec.
It’s a move that’s evidently being made in a bid to mitigate the impact of rising memory costs, which is what saw the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S26+ landing at a higher asking price despite being barely any different to the Samsung Galaxy S25+ before it.
As such, we’re not expecting a price drop for the Samsung Galaxy A57, which is tipped to launch this month along with the Galaxy A37. However, it should mean that we don’t get any unpleasant price bumps from the Samsung Galaxy A56 (pictured).
Earlier in the week, Thai pricing for the Samsung Galaxy A57 and A37 leaked online, suggesting either a slight price drop (unlikely) or stasis (far more likely).
Samsung may have just found a way to achieve this without regressing on specs or compromising its profit margins, though it’ll be interesting to see if it can maintain quality.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.