Understanding galaxy A18 leak proves Samsung needs to stop
In a nightmare year for new smartphones, this might be the worst one yet.
Phones have been among the most affected by the ongoing global RAM shortage (‘RAMageddon’), with price rises on almost every 2026 model. But no-one has taken things as far as Samsung might.
Its upcoming budget phone, the Galaxy A18, has leaked courtesy of Android Headlines. And it paints a damning picture.
How much?!
According to the report, the Galaxy A18 will start at €299 in Europe when it launches – likely in the next few weeks, if previous releases are anything to go by.
Even with RAM prices out of control, this is an unacceptable price rise
That might sound unremarkable, but last year’s Galaxy A17 launched at only €199. That’s an astounding 50% gen-on-gen increase, and would be the biggest percentage hike I’ve seen on a 2026 phone.
UK pricing hasn’t been revealed, but the A17’s £149 starting price suggests it’ll now be well over £200.
Also, bear in mind that this is the 4G-only model. You’ll presumably have to pay even more for the Galaxy A18 5G.
Even with RAM prices out of control, this is an unacceptable price rise, especially for such a big name that could easily absorb the costs.
Samsung
Unless there are major upgrades, of course. But you probably know the answer to that…
Is Samsung shipping the same phone?
In Android Headlines’ leak article, it says it has a “new phone” to show us. I’d beg to differ.
The Galaxy A18 will supposedly feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. That’s the exact same as last year.
Samsung hasn’t bothered to reduce the A17’s sizeable bezel, and it still has a huge chin below the screen. The teardrop-style notch is still here, though the specs of the selfie camera within it are unknown.
On the back, the 50Mp main, 5Mp ultrawide and generally useless 2Mp macro are all retained, while the 5000mAh battery (almost certainly not silicon-carbon) and 25W wired charging are both retained.
Android Headlines
However, if all else fails, at least you can rely on a new chipset. Right?
Nope. The report suggests it’ll be powered by the exact same MediaTek Helio G99 chip as its predecessor. The base model will pair it with a measly 4GB of RAM – is 6 or 8GB really that expensive, Samsung?
One crumb of comfort is that the 128GB of base storage can still be expanded via the Micro-SD slot, meaning you can boost it up to 2TB. But it’s not enough to save this phone.
Even colours, one of the few ways phone makers are making their 2026 handsets stand out, appear to be identical: black, silver and light blue.
Has literally anything changed?
Unless you can count a slightly thicker and heavier device (which I’d class as a downgrade), there appears to be only one upgrade of note.
According to Android Headlines, the Galaxy A18 will have an IP64 rating for water and dust resistance, up from IP54 on the A17.
What does that get you? A peaceful trip to the beach, most likely. While the Galaxy A17 would prevent small particles from interfering with the phone’s operation, there was still a chance of them entering. By contrast, the A18 is completely protected from them.
if this leak is true, it would be a truly embarrassing “upgrade” from a company with such a pedigree for great smartphones
However, it’s still only safe from splashes of water, meaning you can’t drop it in the bath or a swimming pool like with modern IP68 phones. To say it’s a tiny upgrade would be an understatement; unless you go round dunking your phone on a regular basis, you won’t notice.
Of course, this leak might not be accurate, and Samsung could have much bigger plans for the Galaxy A18. But if this leak is true, it would be a truly embarrassing “upgrade” from a company with such a pedigree for great smartphones.
If Samsung has any sense, it’d abandon the launch of such a lazy device while it still can.
