The dream of uber cheap phones for kids and grandparents is effectively dead, thanks to AI

Memory chip costs for budget phones have surged 400% this year, analysts say, making devices under $100 effectively impossible to manufacture profitably right now.

Apple starts testing cheaper Chinese RAM inside iPhones, but your pocket won’t feel the ease

Apple is testing memory chips from CXMT, a state-backed Chinese chipmaker on the Pentagon’s watchlist. Washington pushed back once before. It likely will again.

The memory crisis isn’t going to ease, and you will pay the price for it, says a research firm

Two research firms just confirmed what the memory crisis feels like: more expensive phones and laptops, with no meaningful price relief before 2028.

Nothing just scrapped its next affordable phone, and the problem is bigger than you think

The RAM crisis that killed Nothing’s next budget phone could make your next budget Android phone significantly more expensive.

Waiting for smartphone prices to drop? Nothing’s CEO has bad news for you

Nothing’s Carl Pei says the part of your phone you never think about, RAM, is now its single most expensive component.

Months before the Fold 8’s expected launch, the Fold 7 gets a price hike in the U.S.

With the Galaxy Z Fold 8 just months away, Samsung has raised the price of the Fold 7, signaling that rising component costs are already reshaping the economics of premium foldable phones.

The memory crisis might bring back expandable storage on phones

As RAM and storage prices surge, smartphone brands may look to hybrid storage solutions like microSD cards to keep costs under control.
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Samsung’s reason for Galaxy S26 price hike is a sign of bad things to come

The Galaxy S26 costs more, offers a free storage bump as consolation, and points to a broader crisis — one that’ll reshape phone pricing well beyond Samsung’s lineup.
The post Samsung’s reason for Galaxy S26 price hike is a sign of bad things to …

Samsung just might serve a bad price surprise for the Galaxy 26 series

Samsung’s MX division faces mounting pressure from surging memory prices and Apple’s competitive positioning, casting uncertainty over final Galaxy S26 series pricing ahead of launch.
The post Samsung just might serve a bad price surprise for the Galax…