{"id":523495,"date":"2026-01-17T19:55:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T19:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/523495\/"},"modified":"2026-01-17T19:55:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T19:55:14","slug":"with-ram-prices-soaring-its-time-next-gen-phone-specs-got-creative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/523495\/","title":{"rendered":"With RAM prices soaring, it’s time next-gen phone specs got creative"},"content":{"rendered":"

The RAM crisis affects smartphones<\/a>, PC components, handheld game consoles<\/a>, and more, is really starting to bite. Between product delays, cancellations, and the expectation of price hikes, 2026 isn\u2019t shaping up to be a good year for buying new gadgets. While the outlook isn\u2019t great, the tech industry remains adaptive, if nothing else. Every crisis is also an opportunity, and I\u2019m not the only one who thinks that.<\/p>\n

I have some sympathy for Carl Pei\u2019s position that the RAM shortage presents an opportunity<\/a> for brands that are less dependent on spec sheets \u2014 and the looming price increases \u2014 to market their wares. I don\u2019t think that Nothing is exactly primed to benefit any more than anyone else (affordable phones are probably more vulnerable to BOM price hikes), but that\u2019s by the by. The RAM shortage might present some opportunities for brands to break the mould, but will they take it?<\/p>\n

How much RAM do you need to buy?<\/p>\n

\"Smartphone<\/p>\n

Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

The big decision that brands have to make is how best to respond to this shared problem. Simply charging more or settling for less RAM (and perhaps storage space) to hold prices steady are the obvious options, but they might also be the weakest: consumers will ask why they\u2019re paying more for the same hardware or why the spec sheet is weaker this year. Waiting to see what your competitors do also feels like a no-win situation.<\/p>\n

For the sake of argument, let\u2019s assume brands unanimously come to the realization that everyone\u2019s prices are likely to go up in 2026. The question then becomes: could \u2014 or should \u2014 you invest that headroom in something other than memory?<\/p>\n

Instead of spending more on RAM, maybe brands can upgrade other specs?<\/p>\n

There are definitely some interesting decisions that could be made. Perhaps a baseline $799 flagship can settle for 8GB of RAM (which was perfectly fine a couple of years ago) instead of 12GB, and spend the difference on improving its camera setup. Everyone loves better-looking pictures, and a better camera, or an extra one, is a good way to get a leg up on the competition. Alternatively, investing in a larger silicon-carbon battery<\/a> would stand out far more than a little extra RAM.<\/p>\n

Maybe mid-range phones can finally spring for those pricey IP ratings, or invest a bit more money in design and build materials. Alternatively, brands could double down on unique software tools, ideas like hardware keys, MagSafe-style wireless charging, or other smaller features that often make the difference between mid- and flagship-tier handsets.<\/p>\n

Those features can make a tangible difference to the everyday user experience, and consumers might feel that they\u2019re getting more bang for a slight price increase versus a few more gigabytes of RAM (or even the same amount as last year). In any case, these options could allow phones to differentiate themselves from those that take the more obvious route of simply passing on the ballooning cost of RAM.<\/p>\n

If you were designing a phone in 2026, how would you handle the RAM crisis?<\/p>\n

19 votes<\/p>\n

Suck up the price hike\/pass on the cost<\/p>\n

58%<\/p>\n

Ship phones with less RAM at the same price<\/p>\n

16%<\/p>\n

Scarified RAM for other improvements<\/p>\n

16%<\/p>\n

Something else (see the comments)<\/p>\n

11%<\/p>\n

Can you really skrimp on RAM in the AI age?<\/p>\n

\"Gemini<\/p>\n

Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

That\u2019s fine on a phone with 12GB or 16GB to go around, but under tighter constraints like 8GB, you have to consider whether AI features or app responsiveness should take precedence. Given the mixed reception to AI tools, I don\u2019t think many consumers would be all that bothered if some offline features take a little longer to boot up. Still, if you\u2019re planning to launch the best AI-equipped phone, having large amounts of RAM is pretty non-negotiable these days.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a tangent here that doesn\u2019t get talked about much anymore: better memory management. Smarter app eviction, more aggressive background limits, and perhaps even resorting to that dreaded swap space<\/a> could all help stretch smaller RAM budgets further. That won\u2019t magically solve the problem \u2014 AI models, in particular, are still voracious \u2014 but it could be enough to smooth over the experience on phones that can\u2019t afford to throw 12GB or 16GB of RAM at the problem.<\/p>\n

Even so, this effectively splits the market into two segments: the big brands that can absorb RAM costs or pass them on to consumers in order to maximize AI capabilities, and the smaller players that can\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The race for AI means the specs aren’t dead yet.<\/p>\n

While this is already true to some extent \u2014 Google and Samsung have two of the larger AI ecosystems, even though Nano runs with reasonably modest requirements \u2014 the gap could widen if there\u2019s a divergence between phones that can and can\u2019t meet future hardware demands. Likewise, the experience may feel very different between phones with spare RAM to dedicate to AI and those without.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is a good thing. AI isn\u2019t universally loved in the mobile space (or anywhere, for that matter), and nudging some companies to seek out alternative ways to differentiate their products could be healthy. Maybe brands that focus more on battery life, photography, or distinctive designs might fare better than AI-obsessed competitors \u2014 but I doubt many corporate strategies would want to bet on that.<\/p>\n

The crisis can\u2019t last forever<\/p>\n

\"Samsung<\/p>\n

Robert Triggs \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

All that being said, smartphone designs take years, not months. Changing plans at the last minute to accommodate the explosive prices of RAM in the past few months is unlikely. There\u2019s probably very little the Samsung Galaxy S26<\/a> series can do about it, for example, other than to stump up the added cost or move to a slightly different RAM configuration. Changing a broader range of features is off the table.<\/p>\n

However, phones launching in the second half of 2026 have had a bit more time to weigh additional options. There are optimistic expectations that the crisis will ease somewhat by early 2027, in which case waiting it out might be the best bet. That said, the RAM crunch could easily persist beyond the next year. If it does, it may pay to start thinking about how to build more exciting phones without relying on copious amounts of RAM and storage to pad out spec sheets or power next-gen AI models.<\/p>\n

Obviously, I don\u2019t think expensive RAM is a good thing, let alone a golden opportunity for some brands. It\u2019s a headache that will make devices harder to buy and more expensive, at least temporarily. Still, there may be a sliver of opportunity for brands to shake up the status quo over the next year or two. We\u2019ll just have to wait and see if we end up with some great buys out of it.<\/p>\n

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