Flagship Android phones today commonly ship with 16GB of RAM, giving them serious multitasking muscle for demanding apps and AI features. Samsung, however, continues to chart its own course. The company’s upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra will reportedly stick with the same 12GB RAM setup seen in previous generations, despite the growing need for more memory.
According to leaker @UniverseIce on X, the S26 Ultra will maintain the same RAM and storage configurations as the S25 Ultra. The base model will feature 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with 512GB and 1TB options available. Only the 1TB variant in China and select Asian markets will come with 16GB of RAM — just like before.
This isn’t entirely unexpected. Samsung hasn’t offered 16GB of RAM as standard since the Galaxy S21 Ultra in 2021. Since then, 12GB has remained the benchmark across its Ultra line, even as competitors like Google and OnePlus have moved ahead. For instance, Google’s entire Pixel 10 Pro series ships with 16GB RAM, while the OnePlus 15 offers both 12GB and 16GB options.
On the bright side, the S26 Ultra is expected to use faster LPDDR5X memory modules rated at 10.7Gbps — up from 8.5Gbps on the S25 Ultra. This improvement could deliver smoother performance in memory-intensive tasks such as image processing and low-light photography.
The regular Galaxy S26 and S26+ models are also tipped to keep the same 12GB RAM configuration, paired with either 256GB or 512GB of storage. Samsung reportedly plans to drop the 128GB base model, aligning with Apple’s move to make 256GB the new standard for the iPhone 17 series.
Industry watchers suggest that rising NAND and DRAM prices may be influencing Samsung’s decision. Global demand for AI server hardware has tightened supply and driven up memory costs, forcing smartphone makers to balance performance improvements with profitability.
If these reports are accurate, the Galaxy S26 lineup could look more like an incremental refresh than a leap forward — at least in terms of memory. Still, faster memory modules and Samsung’s growing portfolio of AI-driven features could help narrow the gap where it matters most: real-world performance.
