Looks like the phone pricepocalypse is officially here. Xiaomi is leading the charge, with their new Xiaomi 17 Ultra flagship set to cost about ten percent more than the last model. The word is that it will launch for 6,999 yuan. Samsung is apparently locked into a similar jump, planning to bump prices up around ten percent for their Galaxy S26 lineup, plus the next Z Fold and Z Flip models. Apple is also expected to join this expensive party. The main culprit behind all this is a massive global DRAM shortage, driven by insane AI industry demand, creating a supercycle.
Companies are scrambling to keep their profit margins from getting crushed. Lu Weibing, the President of Xiaomi Group, even mentioned they had to lock down a special supply contract with a chipmaker, likely YMTC, just to get enough memory for 2026. That kind of guaranteed supply does not come cheap. The cost of doing that business gets passed straight to the customer. The higher Chinese price for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is just the start, with global versions predicted to cost another ten percent on top of that.
This basically means everyone buying a high-end phone next year is going to feel the pinch. The entire market is reacting to the same brutal pressure from memory chip costs. What used to be standard flagship pricing is getting a nasty upward revision across the board. Get ready to pay significantly more for that shiny new gadget.
Companies are scrambling to keep their profit margins from getting crushed. Lu Weibing, the President of Xiaomi Group, even mentioned they had to lock down a special supply contract with a chipmaker, likely YMTC, just to get enough memory for 2026. That kind of guaranteed supply does not come cheap. The cost of doing that business gets passed straight to the customer. The higher Chinese price for the Xiaomi 17 Ultra is just the start, with global versions predicted to cost another ten percent on top of that.
This basically means everyone buying a high-end phone next year is going to feel the pinch. The entire market is reacting to the same brutal pressure from memory chip costs. What used to be standard flagship pricing is getting a nasty upward revision across the board. Get ready to pay significantly more for that shiny new gadget.
