Your Next Smartwatch Will Cost More – and AI Is the Bill
A smartwatch price increase is the emerging pattern where new wearables ship with noticeably higher launch prices than their predecessors, driven largely by rising component costs and shifting priorities in the wider tech industry rather than dramatic hardware upgrades. The headline example: prices for Samsung’s next wearables, the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, are expected to rise across the board, with increases of around €30 to €50 depending on the model. This is not a one-off gimmick or a luxury-only issue; it is the first clear sign that the everyday smartwatch category is moving into pricier territory, while buyers are being asked to pay more for refinements and incremental gains instead of transformative new features.
Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2: Higher Prices, Modest Changes
The Galaxy Watch 9 price jumps are not subtle. Reported figures show the 40 mm Bluetooth model at €409.00, up by €40, while the 40 mm LTE version climbs to €459.00, a €50 increase. The 44 mm Bluetooth model moves to €439.00 (+€30) and the 44 mm LTE version to €489.00 (+€30). One quotable takeaway: “Samsung Galaxy Watch9 40 mm BT = €409.00 (+40 euros)”. The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 LTE is expected at €749.00, a straight €50 rise over the previous Ultra. Yet design changes are described as refinements rather than reinventions, with more power, better efficiency and bigger batteries but no radical overhaul. In other words, users are being asked to pay flagship-phone money for what looks like iterative progress on the wrist.
AI’s Hidden Cost: Memory, Storage, and Your Wrist
The most uncomfortable part of this smartwatch price increase is that it is being driven by a race you did not sign up for. One source bluntly notes that price hikes are “almost all thanks to the memory chip shortage caused by AI sucking up resources”. Another explains that the AI industry has pumped demand for storage and RAM, turning components that were cheap and easy to source 12 months ago into expensive bottlenecks. Manufacturers are now paying more for the same parts, and those costs flow straight into retail prices. You are effectively subsidising massive AI data centres every time you buy a smartwatch with more storage or memory, whether or not you care about on-device AI tricks. That is the quiet tax behind the new “smart” in smartwatches.
What This Means for Buyers: Fewer Bargains, Tougher Choices
For ordinary users, this shift hurts twice. First, higher launch prices make “entry-level” feel less accessible. Even though “price increases are never fun”, they are becoming normalised. Second, these European figures are likely to echo elsewhere, since it is “likely that the increases seen in Europe will be reflected in other regions”. Pre-order incentives and trade-in bonuses may soften the blow, but they also hide the real cost behind bundles, vouchers and strap deals. Meanwhile, unchanged designs and modest updates make older models look more attractive; one source points out that this could “encourage some to buy cheaper hardware from last year” instead. The smart play for price-sensitive buyers is clear: either pounce on discounted previous-generation watches or wait out the first wave of inflated tags.
A New Baseline for Wearables – and What Comes Next
These Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 prices are not just about one brand; they are a signal that premium smartwatch pricing is drifting upward as a whole, while AI-heavy supply chains push costs higher. The updated devices are expected to launch on 22 July, when all details should be revealed, alongside a wider event that is also set to feature new folding phones, though the exact Unpacked date has not yet been confirmed. Once those prices are official, every rival wearable maker will be watching. If buyers accept the new numbers, expect other lineups to move in the same direction. The lesson for consumers is straightforward: do not assume that the next release will match last year’s price. The era of cheap “smart enough” wearables is slipping away; plan your upgrades as if this higher baseline is here to stay.
