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Smartphones could become more expensive in 2026 due to the DRAM crisis.
The smartphone market is expected to suffer greatly from the DRAM crisis in 2026. The latest report from TrendForce estimates that production could be reduced by up to 15% following the tripling of RAM costs compared to last year.
The DRAM crisis is not only pushing up the prices of RAM, SSDs and hard drives, but also the prices of DRAM and NAND for laptop and smartphone manufacturers, inevitably leading to more expensive devices in many cases. According to the latest report from TrendForce, the cost of a typical smartphone configuration with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of flash storage has already increased by 200% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
While accounting for only 10 to 15% of the production costs of an average smartphone last year, RAM and flash storage are now expected to account for 30 to 40% of the total costs. Further price increases are expected in the course of 2026, as the DRAM crisis is set to worsen due to growing demand from AI giants. For many manufacturers, increasing the prices of smartphones for end consumers will be inevitable. This is particularly true for cheaper mid-range smartphones, which have smaller profit margins than flagship models.
TrendForce analysts predict that global smartphone production will plummet by 10% to 1.135 billion units in 2026. Depending on RAM/storage price developments, a decline of over 15% is also possible. Smartphone manufacturers in China are expected to be particularly affected, as Apple, with the comparatively high price of the iPhone 17, has more leeway in absorbing the increased production costs. Furthermore, Samsung manufactures its own RAM and storage and is therefore expected to weather the crisis better.
Since 2009 I have written for different publications with a focus on consumer electronics. I joined the Notebookcheck news team in 2018 and have combined my many years of experience with laptops and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to create informative content for our readers about new developments in this sphere. In addition, my design background as an art director at an ad agency has allowed me to have deeper insights into the peculiarities of this industry.
Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 2795 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022
Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.