It is pointed out that the sudden rise in memory prices will lead to a revival of smartphones with 4GB of RAM and those that support microSD cards.
Demand for AI is exacerbating memory shortages, and supply stagnation
Memory Price Surge to Persist in 1Q26; Smartphone and Notebook Brands Begin Raising Prices and Downgrading Specs, Says TrendForce
https://www.trendforce.com/presscenter/news/20251211-12831.html
Smartphone Manufacturers Could Re-Introduce 4GB RAM Devices Due To Immense Shortage, With Flagship Handsets 16GB Memory Transition Slowing Down
According to research firm TrendForce, memory prices are expected to remain stable and will spike again in the first quarter of 2026. This will place a burden on manufacturers, forcing them to raise product prices and revise specifications.
TrendForce predicts that smartphones will see a notable change in specifications, with budget smartphones expected to be sold with 4GB of memory in 2026. Meanwhile, it points out that low-cost laptops will not be able to reduce memory capacity anytime soon due to processor pairing requirements and OS limitations.
Additionally, while mid-range smartphones currently come with a maximum of 12GB of memory, it is predicted that in the future, this will be limited to a maximum of 8GB. Even for high-end smartphones, the upgrade cycle to higher memory capacities is expected to be delayed.
In addition, in order to prevent device prices from rising due to rising memory costs, there are also proposals to save costs by reducing the storage capacity of the device itself and expanding it with a microSD card.
Memory prices have more than tripled in the past few months and are expected to continue to rise.
A graph showing how much memory prices have risen, with prices increasing by more than three times in just a few months, affecting both home-built PCs and pre-made products - GIGAZINE
Related Posts:
in Hardware, Smartphone, Posted by log1p_kr