Sudden Price Hike of up to 220,000 KRW for 'Galaxy Tab' Amid Soaring Inflation and Exchange Rates

Galaxy Tab S8. Photo by Samsung Electronics

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Samsung Electronics abruptly raised the prices of Galaxy Tab models on the 1st. Although the price increase varies by model, some prices jumped by up to 220,000 KRW in just one day.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 5G 512GB increased from 1,908,500 KRW to 2,128,500 KRW, and the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Wi-Fi 512GB rose from 1,708,300 KRW to 1,928,300 KRW, marking a 220,000 KRW increase for the Ultra models.

The Galaxy Tab S8+ and Galaxy Tab S8 each saw a 149,600 KRW increase. The Galaxy Tab S8+ 5G 512GB changed from 1,629,100 KRW to 1,778,700 KRW, and the Galaxy Tab S8 5G 256GB went from 1,179,200 KRW to 1,328,800 KRW.

The prices of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE and S6 Lite also rose by 110,000 KRW and 77,000 KRW respectively, continuing the trend of price hikes.

Samsung Electronics’ sudden price increase appears to be influenced by recent global inflation, rising raw material costs, and a high exchange rate. An IT industry insider said, "Manufacturing costs have surged recently, and the burden of exchange rate increases likely led to the decision to raise prices."

Earlier last month, Samsung Electronics also raised prices for tablet PCs such as the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra in Japan.

This is not unique to Samsung Electronics. Apple raised prices for older iPad models when launching new iPads in October. The affected models include the iPad Air 5th generation released in March and the iPad Mini released last November, with price increases ranging from 120,000 KRW to as much as 259,000 KRW.

Meanwhile, this unusual move to raise prices after product launches has led some to predict that the Galaxy S23, scheduled for release early next year, will also have a higher launch price compared to its predecessor.

The previous model prices were: Galaxy S22 256GB at 999,900 KRW, Galaxy S22+ 256GB at 1,199,000 KRW, and Galaxy S22 Ultra 512GB at 1,551,000 KRW.