Flagship phones are expected to become significantly more expensive next year.
These are all predictions – but what if they turn out to be true?
A rise in memory prices may impact consumers more than expected, with costs gradually increasing from the supply chain level, according to Digital Chat Station via Weibo in October 2025. The account noted that devices with larger storage capacities may become more expensive. LPDDR5X (RAM) prices are showing a significant increase, with industry experts forecasting a potential 20-30% year-over-year increase in memory costs for flagship smartphones next year.
Xiaomi president Lu Weibing also commented on the matter on Weibo, noting that the Redmi K90 series is more expensive due to rising memory costs, with further price increases possible.
The Redmi K90 was launched on Thursday with a base configuration of 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage for 2,599 yuan (~$364), a slight increase from the K80's original price of 2,499 yuan. Lu Weibing addressed concerns about pricing variations, stating that the 12 GB/512 GB model would be discounted by 300 yuan to 2,899 yuan during its first month.
The memory price surge is attributed to a global demand for chips used in AI, which has limited the supply of standard chips used in smartphones, PCs, and servers, thus raising costs.
Whether 2026 flagships will be 20-30% more expensive remains uncertain.
A new book titled "Iconic Phones: Revolution at Your Fingertips" will be released this fall. It will cover the history of over 20 significant phones.
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