No more 'affordable' smartphones?

Smartphone price increases are happening across the board, from Samsung and Apple to Chinese manufacturers.

Smartphone prices in Vietnam are rising, continuously setting new records.

Amidst the global trend of rising smartphone prices, the Vietnamese market is also experiencing a similar surge. Average price increases are around 20-30%. In some cases, prices have increased by tens of millions of dong compared to their predecessors. Attention is focused on Chinese manufacturers, who have a price advantage over their competitors.

In fact, Samsung and Apple have been raising their retail prices for some time now. Although the companies haven't adjusted their prices recently, their annual promotions and discounts are also no longer available.

Prices increased across the board.

Oppo isn't typically a company that competes on price. However, its products are attracting attention by continuously setting new price benchmarks. The Find X9 Ultra is listed at 50 million VND. Meanwhile, the Find N6 foldable phone is priced at 65 million VND, a 30 million VND increase compared to the 45 million VND of the Find N5.

The aforementioned products are all high-end models with added features. However, the price increase is unusually large compared to the usual 5-10% adjustment at each launch.

Xiaomi 17 Ultra reaches 40 million VND, Vivo X300 Ultra and Find X9 Ultra reach 50 million VND.

The company's flagship Reno products also saw a 10-20% increase compared to the same period last year. Specifically, the Reno15 F increased slightly by 700,000 VND compared to its predecessor. However, the RAM was reduced to 8 GB. The equivalent 12 GB version increased by approximately 1.7 million VND.

In the same segment, Vivo also adjusted its V series to the upper mid-range. The V60 Lite is priced at 10.5 million VND. The successor, the V70FE, increased to 14 million VND. Meanwhile, the V70 reached 18 million VND, a difference of 2 million VND from the previous generation. At the launch event, a representative of the manufacturer acknowledged pressure from the component market and stated that the current pricing is a result of the company's efforts in Vietnam.

Xiaomi, known for its strategy of offering lower prices compared to competitors in the same segment, is not excluded from this trend. The manufacturer is trying to streamline its product lines, increasing prices but keeping them lower than direct competitors. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra surprised many with its launch price of 40 million VND, but it was still 10 million VND cheaper than comparable Oppo and Vivo models.

In the lower-end segment, the company reduced internal memory in some variants of the REDMI Note 15 series, but maintained similar prices. Some models had upgraded specifications, requiring users to accept a price difference of 4-10%. The upcoming T-series models could reach a price of 20 million VND, becoming direct competitors to lower-spec flagships like the Find X9s, iPhone 17, or the "regular" S26.

Samsung and Apple are ahead.

The high prices of Chinese-made phones have attracted attention in recent months. However, Samsung and Apple have also taken the lead in raising mobile device prices.

“In fact, the price increase trend started earlier when Apple raised the price of the iPhone 17 Pro Max to 38 million VND in September 2025, an increase of about 10% compared to the stable price of the previous three years. By early 2026, major manufacturers were all adjusting prices simultaneously. The Galaxy S26 Ultra increased by nearly 10%, and the 1TB version increased by almost 17%,” Mr. Nguyen Lac Huy, media representative of CellphoneS, told Tri Thuc - Znews.

The Galaxy S26 trio maintains its price and is no longer experiencing the price drops seen in previous years.

The prices of the flagship models from the two aforementioned companies haven't dropped significantly. In contrast, in previous years, manufacturers often launched promotional programs to stimulate demand during off-peak periods. The iPhone 17 Pro Max still costs 37 million VND, unchanged since its launch. Apple hasn't lowered the prices of older models in Vietnam either.

On the other hand, Samsung's flagship A series has seen significant price increases compared to last year. For example, the Galaxy A37 with 8GB/128GB of memory is priced at 10.8 million VND, an increase of 2.6 million VND compared to the previous generation. The flagship A57 model has reached 12.5 million VND, a difference of 2.5 million VND. The S26 series has maintained almost the same price since its launch, with some retailers reporting out of stock. In previous years, the Korean company might have reduced the price of these products by 20-30% to stimulate demand.

Source: https://znews.vn/khong-con-smartphone-gia-tot-post1654980.html