The cheapest Samsung phone you can buy in the US now costs $270. Not long ago the Galaxy A17 5G sold for $200, the entry price Samsung had held for years, and it has climbed through two separate hikes, one of them in August. SamMobile and Engadget both reported the new Samsung.com prices, which also cover the A27 5G, A37 5G and A57 5G. All four were already on sale. This is repricing, not a new launch.
The numbers
The A17’s $70 rise is the steepest, roughly 35%. The A37 5G launched at $450, already $50 above the A36’s $399 starting price, and now lists at $490, which puts it $91 above where the A36 began. The A57 5G launched $50 above the Galaxy A56’s roughly $500, and the latest hike added another $50, leaving it at about $600 and around $100 over its predecessor. The Verge quotes $549 and $599 instead, a rounding gap between outlets rather than a disagreement about the size of the increase.
The last Samsung phone to sit near $200 was the Galaxy A16 5G, which launched at $199.99 in January 2025 and went on sale the same day through national retailers, carriers and Samsung.com.
Part of a wider round
The A-series increases followed hikes the week before on the high-end Galaxy S26 range, reportedly about $100. Budget phones, as it turns out, were not exempt. Samsung is not alone either. Google has raised the Pixel 10a from $499 to $599, though one rival does not make an industry trend.
Samsung has offered no explanation. No statement ties the newest prices to tariffs, component costs, currency moves or margins. When the A37 and A57 were announced for an April 9 launch, Cedar Report put the higher launch prices down to parts shortages and rising costs across the phone industry, but that is the outlet’s reading, and nothing shows it accounts for this month’s further increases.
What the money bought
At launch Samsung pitched a package called Awesome Intelligence, including Voice Transcription in the Voice Recorder app, an expanded Circle to Search that can identify several objects at once, and an AI Select tool. It also cited an improved Object Eraser. Both phones carry a triple rear camera with a 5MP macro lens. The A57 has a 6.9mm chassis, a 13% larger vapor chamber, a 5,000mAh battery and Super Fast Charging 2.0, which Samsung says reaches 60% in about 30 minutes with a compatible charger. Those are Samsung’s own claims, and none of the reporting includes independent testing.
These prices are Samsung.com listings. Carrier and third-party retailer prices may differ, so check each before buying. SamMobile’s read is that prices are unlikely to fall over the next couple of years, although that is the outlet’s view and not a Samsung commitment.
