{"id":403925,"date":"2026-03-25T23:26:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T23:26:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/403925\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T23:26:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T23:26:17","slug":"significant-regressions-for-mid-range-smartphones-but-many-users-would-welcome-one-old-feature-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/403925\/","title":{"rendered":"Significant regressions for mid-range smartphones \u2013 but many users would welcome one old feature back"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/fileadmin\/Notebooks\/News\/_nc5\/Budget-Smartphones.jpg\" title=\"According to leaker Digital Chat Station, mid-range smartphones could face significant downgrades as a result of the memory crisis.\" data-caption=\"According to leaker Digital Chat Station, mid-range smartphones could face significant downgrades as a result of the memory crisis.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/csm_Budget-Smartphones_c6e7b0de42.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" alt=\"According to leaker Digital Chat Station, mid-range smartphones could face significant downgrades as a result of the memory crisis.\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\u24d8 Notebookcheck<\/p>\n<p><\/a>According to leaker Digital Chat Station, mid-range smartphones could face significant downgrades as a result of the memory crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Rising RAM and storage prices could soon have noticeable consequences for mid-range smartphones. A leak suggests that manufacturers in the roughly $400 segment may increasingly return to older technology such as 90 Hz waterdrop displays, plastic frames, and hybrid SIM slots. The microSD slot, which has long been on the decline, could make a comeback as a result \u2013 much to the delight of many users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"bodytext\">Budget smartphones such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Loads-of-innovations-in-the-premium-mid-range-Samsung-Galaxy-A56-5G-review.1020512.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Galaxy A56<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/SAMSUNG-A56-Unlocked-SM-A566E-SM-A566EZKATPA\/dp\/B0F1GF39WJ?tag=nbcnewsnet-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\">currently $300 on Amazon<\/a>) or the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Great-battery-life-and-a-handy-size-Google-Pixel-9a-review.1039364.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Google Pixel 9a<\/a> offer an attractive option for price-conscious users willing to compromise on performance or camera hardware. But as a recent leak suggests, buyers in the mid-range segment may soon have to accept further compromises due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Nintendo-quietly-approved-Switch-2-price-increase-due-to-memory-costs-says-analyst.1236846.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">ongoing supply pressure<\/a> and rising memory prices.&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"bodytext\">The information comes from well-known leaker <a href=\"https:\/\/weibo.com\/6048569942\/Qx6Lskm5B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Digital Chat Station on Weibo<\/a> and was also picked up by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.androidauthority.com\/budget-phones-changes-ram-crisis-leak-3651000\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Android Authority<\/a>. The leaker does not go into much detail, but simply lists a number of older specifications that could return to smartphones in the \u201c3K class.\u201d This likely refers to devices priced at around 3,000 yuan, or roughly $435. That category includes smartphones such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Oppo-Reno15.1188366.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Oppo Reno 15<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/OnePlus-6-Smartphone-Review.306158.0.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">OnePlus Ace 6T<\/a>, or the Samsung Galaxy A56. Their successors could make the following compromises in order to offset rising memory costs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>8 GB RAM + 512 GB storage instead of other storage configurations<\/li>\n<li>90 Hz display with waterdrop notch instead of other display solutions<\/li>\n<li>SIM + microSD instead of other slot configurations<\/li>\n<li>Plastic frame + short-focus fingerprint sensor in the 3K segment instead of other hardware combinations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"bodytext\">As Android Authority reports, citing data from <a href=\"https:\/\/counterpointresearch.com\/en\/insights\/Memory-Price-Surge-Triggers-Shifts-in-Smartphone-BOM-Structure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Counterpoint Research<\/a>, RAM already accounted for around 14% of the bill of materials for a smartphone with 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB of UFS 4.0 storage by the end of Q1 2026, while internal storage made up a further 11%. According to the report, those figures could rise even further in Q2 2026. Simply reducing RAM capacity therefore does not appear to be enough to offset rising memory prices. As a result, material choices and display specifications could also come under pressure in the future.&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Community jokes about the technological rollback, but welcomes the return of the microSD slot<\/p>\n<p class=\"bodytext\">Users on Weibo are joking that the AI boom is forcing the industry to take a step backwards, bringing back long-outdated features such as 90 Hz waterdrop displays and plastic frames. The possible return of the microSD slot, however, has been explicitly welcomed by many. It would make choosing a smaller storage configuration at the time of purchase much easier and give users more flexibility when it comes to onboard storage. Many would also welcome the return of the 3.5 mm headphone jack, although that would probably offer little advantage for manufacturers in this scenario.&#13;<\/p>\n<p class=\"bodytext\">For now, however, it remains to be seen whether and when this trend will actually show up in real devices. So far, the claims are based solely on a leak, meaning it is still unclear whether such changes will become visible with the next generation of smartphones, later on, or at all.<\/p>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.notebookcheck.net\/Notebookcheck-Team.212978.0.html?&amp;tx_nbc2journalist_pi1%5Bmode%5D=show&amp;tx_nbc2journalist_pi1%5Buid%5D=363\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/csm_mariusmueller_6d5a40d2ea.png\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"120\" height=\"120\" alt=\"Marius M\u00fcller\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As a child in the 90s, my Gameboy was my steady companion. After school, the PlayStation was fired up. When I finally got my first PC, I was completely hooked. My passion for gaming has never waned since. For me, writing for Notebookcheck means reporting on topics that are really close to my heart &#8211; in addition to gaming, I also like to write about e-mobility, photovoltaics and innovative gadgets. When I&#8217;m not sitting at my computer, I&#8217;m probably on water rescue duty on the Baltic coast or trying to counteract the downsides of my geek life &#8211; namely sitting for long periods &#8211; at the local swimming pool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u24d8 Notebookcheck According to leaker Digital Chat Station, mid-range smartphones could face significant downgrades as a result of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":403926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[257],"tags":[182867,182863,114945,182868,1820,182855,90427,18,93785,16015,1821,182862,19,17,1815,182865,86286,182861,182856,279,1819,1814,182864,1822,158533,182860,1818,1142,1143,182859,182857,182858,82,1817,1816,182866,104390],"class_list":["post-403925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-3-5-mm-jack-plug","tag-90-hz-display","tag-android-authority","tag-android-authority-leak","tag-benchmarks","tag-budget-smartphones","tag-digital-chat-station","tag-eire","tag-galaxy-a56","tag-google-pixel-9a","tag-graphics-card","tag-hybrid-sim-slot","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-laptop","tag-lpddr5x-ram","tag-microsd-slot","tag-microsd-slot-comeback","tag-mid-range-smartphones","tag-mobile","tag-netbook","tag-notebook","tag-plastic-frame-smartphone","tag-processor","tag-ram-crisis","tag-ram-prices","tag-reports","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-rising-storage-prices","tag-smartphone-leak","tag-storage-prices","tag-technology","tag-test","tag-tests","tag-ufs-4-0-storage","tag-waterdrop-notch"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=403925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/403925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/403926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=403925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=403925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=403925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}