Samsung Hikes Galaxy Tab S12 European Pricing and Drops Entry Model as Memory Costs Surge

Samsung Electronics is rolling out its new flagship tablet line in Europe at significantly higher prices while dropping its entry-level tier, according to a report from The Next Web (https://thenextweb.com/news/samsung-tab-s12-europe-price-memory). The Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra arrive on Oct. 7 priced at €1,299 and €1,539 respectively, with the S12+ costing roughly €180 more than the S10+ model it replaces. Adding 5G connectivity increases the price by €200. In the United Kingdom, the tablets will retail for £1,199 and £1,399, while U.S. pricing sits at $1,200 and $1,399—each up $100 over prior generations, as previously reported by Bloomberg.

The updated tablets run on a 3-nanometer MediaTek processor offering modest performance gains, paired with 1,600 nits of peak brightness and an IP68 ingress protection rating. Samsung bundles its S Pen stylus in the box, though keyboards remain separate purchases. Crucially, Samsung did not update or replace the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S11, effectively removing the lowest-priced entry tier and resetting the bottom of the lineup where the midrange used to sit.

The decision to abandon the entry-level chassis aligns with the mounting pressure of escalating component costs across the industry. Global memory prices have spiked over the past year, with LPDDR5 RAM costs jumping 220% between the first quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026. In Germany, DDR5 memory prices climbed 414% over the same period. For budget Android smartphones, memory now accounts for up to 50% of total bill-of-materials costs, up from approximately 15% previously.

Even as the world's largest memory manufacturer, Samsung is not immune to these supply constraints. In January, the company's head of global marketing warned that component supply pressures in 2026 would affect the entire sector rather than sparing its own consumer hardware. Facing tightened margins, manufacturers are either pushing price increases directly to consumers or cutting budget configurations entirely. Apple previously withdrew its $599 Mac Mini rather than increasing its price, while Amazon raised device prices by up to 60% in August, citing memory and storage costs. Fujifilm similarly raised camera prices by up to €500 in September, projecting an 11 billion yen financial hit from the crisis this year.

The retail sector had signaled that these increases were coming. In July, Currys chief executive Alex Baldock warned of cost price inflation arriving later in the year, a dynamic now materializing in autumn product rollouts.

Alongside the tablet lineup, Samsung introduced the SmartTag 3 item tracker, which is 35% smaller and 33% lighter than its predecessor. Powered by a standard coin cell battery, the device offers 790 days of battery life—up from 700 days previously—and works exclusively with Samsung devices rather than Google's Find My Device network. It is scheduled to ship in early November for $30 individually or $100 for a four-pack.