Samsung Galaxy A07 and A17 Get Up to RM200 Price Hike in Malaysia Amid Memory Chip Shortage

TLDR

• Samsung Malaysia raises Galaxy A07 and A17 prices by up to RM200 effective immediately
• Hit by global memory chip shortage and AI-driven RAM demand, components are getting pricier across the board
• Galaxy A17 LTE and 5G variants both see the largest RM200 bump, while A07 increases range from RM120 to RM150
• Current pricing: Galaxy A07 LTE at RM1,049, A07 5G at RM1,149, A17 LTE at RM1,149, A17 5G at RM1,299
• Budget buyers should grab remaining stock at old prices from authorised retailers while supplies last

Samsung’s Budget Line Gets Pricier in Malaysia

Samsung Malaysia has officially raised the prices of its Galaxy A07 and Galaxy A17 smartphones, with increases of up to RM200 hitting consumers starting today. The revision affects all four configurations across both model lines and arrives just months after the devices first launched in Malaysia. If you have been eyeing either of these entry-level Samsung phones, the buying math has changed noticeably overnight.

The new pricing applies immediately across Samsung Malaysia’s official channels, authorised retailers, and partner stores nationwide. Shoppers will find the Galaxy A07 LTE (8GB+256GB) now tagged at RM1,049, up from RM899, while the Galaxy A07 5G (8GB+256GB) goes for RM1,149, up from RM1,029. The Galaxy A17 lineup sees the steepest hikes, with the LTE (8GB+256GB) now at RM1,149, up RM200 from RM949, and the A17 5G (8GB+256GB) at RM1,299, also up RM200 from RM1,149. Both phones still ship with 6 years of OS upgrades and IP54 dust and water resistance.

Why The Sudden Price Jump

Samsung is blunt about the cause. According to the company, the revision reflects ongoing increases in global component costs, particularly for memory chips and RAM, driven by surging demand from AI infrastructure and data centre expansion. The memory chip shortage has been a recurring theme across the global smartphone industry in 2026, with analysts warning that profitable budget phones are becoming harder to sustain as RAM and storage prices climb to feed the insatiable appetite of AI training and inference workloads.

Samsung added that despite its best efforts to absorb these cost pressures internally, the magnitude of the increase has left the company with no choice but to pass some of it along to consumers. The brand reaffirmed its commitment to delivering value through the Galaxy A series, but further specs improvements on future budget releases may be harder to justify at sub-RM1,000 price points if memory costs keep rising.

What You Get For The Money Now

Even with the price hike, both phones remain solid budget picks for users who prioritise Samsung’s software polish and long update commitment. The Galaxy A07 ships with a 6.7-inch HD+ LCD, a MediaTek Helio G99 chip on the LTE variant and Dimensity 6300 on the 5G version, a 50MP main camera, an 8MP selfie shooter, and a 5,000mAh battery on LTE (or 6,000mAh on 5G). The Galaxy A17 steps things up with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED panel, an Exynos 1330 on the 5G version, a triple camera array (50MP main, 5MP ultra-wide, 2MP macro), and a 13MP selfie camera.

You can find the new pricing across Samsung’s official e-store, Shopee, Lazada, and physical Samsung Experience Stores, as well as authorised retailers like Senheng, Harvey Norman, and All IT Hypermarket. If you are flexible on brand, the price hike also opens room for rivals like Xiaomi, realme, and TECNO to position their own budget offerings more aggressively in the Malaysian market.

Our Take

A RM200 bump on a sub-RM1,000 phone stings more than it would on a flagship, because that delta represents a meaningful percentage of the total spend for a budget buyer in Malaysia. Samsung is not alone in this pressure either; expect similar adjustments across other brands that source memory from the same constrained supply chain. The silver lining is that Samsung’s commitment to 6 years of OS upgrades and security patches on the A-series means the total cost of ownership still looks reasonable compared to rivals that promise only 2 or 3 years of updates.

If you were already planning to buy either phone, our advice is straightforward. Do not wait. Authorised retailers are likely to clear remaining old-stock inventory at the previous pricing over the coming days before fully switching to the new price tags. If you can stretch your budget, the A17 5G at the new RM1,299 remains the better deal thanks to the Super AMOLED display and 5G-ready Exynos 1330 chip. For pure entry-level buyers, the A07 5G at RM1,149 is still a sensible pick that keeps you on 5G for the long haul.

Source

• SoyaCincau