Phone makers might actually bring back microSD card slots because DRAM prices are getting absolutely destroyed right now, and some Chinese suppliers are apparently talking about it. Memory costs have doubled since the start of the year, with 12GB of LPDDR5X hitting around $70 per unit, which means companies either eat the loss or pass it on to customers who are already getting gouged.
The theory is that letting people buy cheaper base storage models and then slap in their own microSD cards could keep phones competitive while manufacturers deal with the markup on internal memory. Samsung charges like $200 to jump from 256GB to 512GB on flagship devices, but you can grab a 512GB microSD Express card for under 75 bucks that hits 800MB/s read speeds.
Anything already in production probably won't get redesigned, but devices launching in late 2026 could potentially ship with the slot if this rumor pans out and the shortage drags into 2027.
The theory is that letting people buy cheaper base storage models and then slap in their own microSD cards could keep phones competitive while manufacturers deal with the markup on internal memory. Samsung charges like $200 to jump from 256GB to 512GB on flagship devices, but you can grab a 512GB microSD Express card for under 75 bucks that hits 800MB/s read speeds.
Anything already in production probably won't get redesigned, but devices launching in late 2026 could potentially ship with the slot if this rumor pans out and the shortage drags into 2027.
