Bad news if you want to upgrade your smartphone.

Rising component costs are impacting the prices of many new smartphone models. Photo: Phuong Lam .

This concern stems from the fact that the price of memory chips and smartphone storage has been steadily increasing over the past several quarters. Some 1TB flash memory chips have more than doubled in price, from over $30 in 2025 to nearly $87 currently. The prices of components such as 12GB LPDDR5X RAM or 256GB storage have also risen sharply, with flash memory prices increasing by 80-90%.

Once considered a low-cost component, memory has now become one of the most expensive parts of a smartphone's price. However, surveys at several electronics markets and retail stores show that phone prices on the market remain relatively stable, with no widespread price adjustments recorded yet.

Meanwhile, the PC segment has been more significantly impacted. Prices for many laptop and desktop models have quietly increased by 5-10%. Products heavily reliant on RAM and graphics memory have seen even sharper increases.

A representative from a JD.com store in Nanjing, China, stated that computers with large memory capacities and graphics cards are also affected by the significant increase in material costs. As for mobile phones, there has been no official price increase announcement yet, although the supply of some models and colors is starting to become scarce due to the impact of rising input costs.

Nevertheless, the market has begun to show signs of price increases for new models. From the end of 2025, many phone models from Chinese manufacturers are expected to see price increases of 100-600 yuan ( US$ 14-87) compared to their predecessors.

According to a media distributor, cost transmission within the supply chain is cyclical. Many major brands may implement widespread price adjustments in early March.

Internal sources indicate that several manufacturers have finalized their price increase plans and issued adjustment notices. Products launched after March may see higher increases, with new models potentially increasing by at least 1,000 yuan ( US$145 ), while mid-range and high-end models could see increases of 2,000-3,000 yuan ( US$ 290-440).

Analysts believe that the sharp fluctuations in memory prices are the main factor driving the upward trend in product prices. However, memory only accounts for a fraction of the total cost of smartphone production. Some manufacturers may accept reduced profit margins to maintain market share, so the actual increase may not be as significant as feared.

Amid concerns about potential price increases, some consumers have proactively visited stores to check prices early to avoid risks. However, retailers advise consumers to consider their actual needs and avoid hoarding or impulsive purchases.