Samsung Annual Operating Profit Projected to Reach 73Billion Dollars in 2026 as DRAM and NAND Prices Surge

Rising memory prices are reshaping the semiconductor and consumer electronics landscape, and Samsung Electronics appears to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this shift. As DRAM and NAND costs continue climbing across global markets, revised forecasts now suggest that Samsung’s annual operating profit could reach approximately 73billion US dollars in 2026, exceeding earlier expectations and accelerating the company’s profitability timeline.

According to a revised outlook cited by Chosun, the sustained rise in memory pricing is allowing Samsung to approach profitability levels it previously targeted for 2027. Together with SK hynix, the two Korean memory giants could generate a combined annual operating profit of roughly 136billion US dollars, a figure that underscores just how dramatically the balance of power has shifted in the DRAM and NAND markets.

Earlier projections from a senior researcher at Kiwoom Securities estimated Samsung’s 2026 operating profit to fall between ninety and one hundred trillion Korean won, equivalent to roughly sixty two to sixty nine billion US dollars. Those figures have now been revised upward. The latest estimates put Samsung’s operating profit at 170.6trillion won, or around seventy three billion US dollars, while SK hynix is projected to reach 93.8trillion won, translating to approximately sixty three point eight billion US dollars. While these numbers reflect remarkable financial performance for both companies, they come at a significant cost to the broader technology ecosystem.

The ripple effects of rising memory prices are already being felt across multiple device categories. Counterpoint Research estimates that increasing DRAM and NAND costs could push smartphone bills of materials to as much as twenty five percent, a shift that may lead to a two point six percent decline in global smartphone shipments in 2026. To offset rising costs, some manufacturers may be forced to release entry level smartphones equipped with just four gigabytes of memory, while others may reintroduce microSD card expansion even in higher end models as a cost mitigation strategy.

The notebook segment is facing similar pressure. Several original equipment manufacturers are reportedly considering standard configurations of eight gigabytes of system memory, even in midrange models, as a direct response to constrained DRAM supply and elevated pricing. This marks a notable regression in baseline specifications at a time when software and operating systems continue to demand more resources.

Major PC and hardware vendors including Acer, Dell, and ASUS have already begun preparing for widespread price increases in the coming weeks. The impact is also reaching the graphics market, where NVIDIA is reportedly adjusting production plans for its RTX five thousand series GPUs due in part to ongoing DRAM supply limitations. These cascading adjustments highlight how deeply memory pricing now influences product strategy across the entire industry.

Meanwhile, Samsung and SK hynix continue to capitalize on the imbalance between supply and demand. Beyond memory, Samsung is also reported to be on track to achieve profitability in its foundry business by 2027, further strengthening its position as a vertically integrated semiconductor powerhouse. As device makers scramble to manage costs and protect margins, the memory suppliers remain firmly in control of the current cycle.

The situation illustrates a familiar but increasingly intense pattern. As AI workloads, data centers, and next generation devices drive unprecedented demand for memory, supply constraints translate directly into pricing power for producers. For consumers and manufacturers alike, the coming year may bring difficult compromises, while Samsung and SK hynix ride one of the most lucrative periods in memory industry history.

Do you think rising memory prices will significantly slow device upgrades in 2026, or will consumers absorb the costs as performance demands continue to rise? Join the discussion below.