Ongoing RAM Shortage Drives Up Prices for PCs and Smartphones

Your next smartphone or PC could see a price hike due to a global memory shortage that the International Data Corporation predicts will last until at least 2027. A recent report from the research firm highlights the ramifications of this RAM shortage, indicating it marks the end of an era characterized by affordable and plentiful memory and storage—at least for the time being.

In recent months, RAM prices have surged as major memory manufacturers—Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix—redirect resources to cater to AI companies, which are consuming vast amounts of memory for their extensive data centers. While PC gamers looking to upgrade their RAM have felt the pinch first, this issue is extending to other devices as well.

According to the IDC, the cost of smartphones is significantly influenced by the type of memory they utilize. Rising RAM prices are forcing phone manufacturers to either hike prices, lower specifications, or do a combination of both. Budget-friendly brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Honor, and Huawei will have no choice but to pass these increased costs onto consumers. These companies have already optimized their components to maintain affordability and have limited options for substituting existing parts with cheaper alternatives. Xiaomi and Honor have begun raising prices on their tablets, and Xiaomi has indicated that smartphone price increases are on the horizon.

In contrast, Samsung and Apple may have a bit more flexibility, as they can secure memory supplies 12 to 24 months in advance. They might not increase RAM beyond 12GB in their flagship smartphones, a feature that both the iPhone 17 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra adopted this year. Overall, the IDC anticipates that the average selling price of smartphones could rise by 3 to 5 percent in a moderate scenario, or by 6 to 8 percent in a more pessimistic outlook.

Turning to PCs, the IDC describes the memory shortage as a “perfect storm” for the industry, coinciding with Microsoft’s discontinuation of support for Windows 10 and the rise of memory-intensive AI PCs. Several PC and laptop manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus, have already announced upcoming price increases.

Additionally, makers of AI-centric devices, such as Microsoft’s Copilot Plus PCs, may need to either raise prices or cut back on RAM. This could be challenging since Copilot Plus PCs come with a minimum of 16GB of RAM. While the IDC is not altering its official PC market forecast for 2026, it does suggest that the average selling price of PCs could increase by 4 to 6 percent in a moderate scenario, or by 6 to 8 percent in a pessimistic one.