The three major South Korean telecom providers, SK Telecom, KT, and LG U+, have announced that they will begin pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 series from March 27th to April 5th. The Galaxy S26 series, launched by Samsung Electronics in San Francisco, features enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities with three AI assistant services, but comes at a higher price compared to the previous S25 series, aligning it closely in cost to Apple's iPhone offerings. Available colors include Black, White, Sky Blue, and Cobalt Violet, with storage options of 256 GB, 512 GB, and a 1 TB model exclusively for the Ultra version.

Customers pre-ordering will benefit from the 'Double Storage' promotion, automatically upgrading their 256 GB model to the 512 GB version. This promotion has received positive feedback in the past, especially given the recent surge in global memory prices, which has raised interest in pre-order benefits. Additionally, KT is uniquely offering a 1 TB Ultra model but without the double storage promotion, opting instead for a limited-time 'capacity upgrade' event where customers can purchase it at the 512 GB price point.

All three telecom companies are running trade-in programs, allowing customers to reduce the cost of new devices. By returning their existing phones, typically used for two years, customers can receive up to 50% of the original price as compensation based on the phone's condition. For customers who tend to keep their phones longer, LG U+ also provides an option to extend the trade-in period to three years, making the transition to new devices more affordable for users.