PCs and phones are about to get more expensive, not because of flashy new features, but because the memory chips inside them are suddenly in short supply. Industry analysts now expect average system prices to climb by as much as 8 percent as manufacturers grapple with a global crunch in DRAM and NAND. For shoppers, that means higher price tags, fewer discounts, and in some cases less memory for the same money.
The squeeze is arriving just as consumers have grown used to generous RAM and storage in everything from budget Android phones to gaming laptops. Instead of quietly absorbing higher component costs, device makers are starting to pass them along, warning retailers and buyers that the era of cheap memory is over for now. The result is a rare moment when the invisible plumbing of the AI boom collides directly with everyday gadgets.
How a behind‑the‑scenes memory crunch became a consumer problem
The current shortage did not start in the phone aisle or the laptop shelf, it began in the data center. As companies raced to build AI infrastructure, demand for DRAM and NAND shifted toward servers and accelerators, leaving fewer chips available for consumer hardware. Analysts tracking the market describe a structural imbalance in which capacity that once served PCs and smartphones is now being pulled into high margin AI workloads, a trend detailed in recent analysis of AI-driven DRAM demand.
By late 2025, that shift had hardened into a full blown supply and demand mismatch. Industry researchers note that in late 2025 the global memory market tipped into crisis, with producers unable to keep up just as device makers needed to add more RAM to stay competitive, a dynamic laid out in an assessment of the late‑2025 supply imbalance. What had been a background issue for component buyers is now rippling into retail pricing, with consumers effectively subsidizing the AI buildout every time they upgrade a device.
Why AI is swallowing so much DRAM and NAND
To understand why memory prices are spiking, it helps to look at how AI workloads use hardware. Training large language models and running recommendation engines consume vast pools of DRAM and high bandwidth memory, while the data they chew through lives on enormous banks of NAND based storage. Recent reporting notes that where previous memory cycles were driven by PCs and smartphones, the current cycle is dominated by data center and AI computing, a shift that has been highlighted in coverage of the 2025 RAM shortage.
That pivot has concrete consequences for consumer gear. When hyperscale buyers are willing to pay a premium for DRAM and NAND, chipmakers naturally prioritize those orders, tightening supply for everyone else. Analysts tracking the global memory crisis point out that just as the industry needs to add more RAM to phones and PCs, it has become prohibitively expensive to do so, even for vendors that can secure enough chips, a tension described in detail in an IDC market analysis of the smartphone and PC impact. The AI boom is not just another demand spike, it is reshaping who gets memory and at what price.
From chip fabs to store shelves: how the shortage translates into higher PC prices
On the PC side, the translation from component crunch to sticker shock is already visible. IT market research and data analytics firm IDC expects average PC prices to jump by up to 8 percent in 2026 as memory shortages bite, a forecast that has been echoed in coverage of vendors quietly adjusting their lineups. One report notes that some manufacturers are even selling prebuilt systems without RAM installed, leaving buyers to source memory separately, a remarkable detail captured in an overview of IDC’s 8 percent PC price forecast.
Those headline figures are backed by warnings from component suppliers who see the crunch up close. A separate briefing on the crisis notes that IT market research and data analytics firm IDC has updated its global memory crisis outlook, flagging that some vendors are already shipping a system without memory modules, a sign that the shortage is distorting normal product configurations, as detailed in an IDC update on systems without memory modules. For consumers, that could mean paying more for a complete machine or navigating a more fragmented market where “barebones” PCs become common.
Smartphones are next in line, especially at the low end
Phones are not immune, and the pain will likely start with the cheapest models. Analysts tracking bill of materials costs report that DRAM prices have surged this year as demand outstrips supply, with low end smartphones priced below $200 seeing some of the sharpest increases in memory costs. That squeeze on entry level devices, and the risk that brands will either raise prices or cut specs, is laid out in detail in an analysis of how DRAM prices have surged and hit phones below $200.
Research into the broader consumer market shows a similar pattern. One recent assessment notes that the DRAM price surge hits entry level smartphones first, forcing manufacturers to adjust product tiers to maintain profitability and nudging them to shift features up the stack, a trend described in a report on rising memory prices affecting smartphones and notebooks. That means buyers shopping for budget Android devices may find less RAM than last year, or discover that the models with adequate memory have crept into midrange pricing.
Evidence the price hikes have already begun
For anyone wondering if this is still a theoretical risk, some brands have already moved. Xiaomi and Honor have already started raising prices on their tablets, while Xiaomi has warned about price increases coming to other categories as memory costs climb, a shift documented in coverage of how Xiaomi and Honor have already raised prices. Those early moves are a useful bellwether, since these companies compete aggressively on value and tend to resist hikes until margins are truly under pressure.
Broader reporting on the crisis underscores that the RAM shortage is here to stay, raising prices on PCs and phones and making it harder for manufacturers to keep devices affordable. Analysts warn that your next smartphone or PC might cost more amid the crunch, with higher memory prices coming for other devices too, a message captured in a summary of how the RAM shortage is raising prices on PCs and phones. In other words, the 8 percent figure is not a distant forecast, it is a trajectory that has already started to show up in real products.
Inside the supply chain: chipmakers, module vendors, and the cost spiral
Behind those retail shifts is a supply chain that is straining at multiple points. Memory manufacturers like Micron are juggling intense demand from AI customers with long term capacity planning, while also trying to keep consumer and enterprise clients supplied. The company’s own materials emphasize its focus on DRAM, NAND, and high bandwidth memory for data center and AI workloads, underscoring how central these segments have become to its business, as outlined on Micron’s product and solutions pages.
Downstream, module makers are warning that the worst may still be ahead. One general manager at a major memory brand has cautioned that the RAM pricing crisis has only just started, predicting that the problem will get worse in 2026 as DRAM and NAND prices double in one month and noting that a high end memory module now costs around $217.6, a stark figure cited in a warning that DRAM and NAND prices have doubled in one month. When component prices move that fast, PC builders and phone makers have little choice but to reprice their products or cut corners elsewhere.
How fast memory prices are rising, and why that matters for 2026
The speed of the current spike is what sets it apart from previous cycles. Market researchers at TrendForce forecast conventional DRAM prices to rise between 8 percent and 13 percent quarter on quarter in the fourth quarter of 2025, while HBM inclusive products see even sharper increases, a projection detailed in an report on how the AI boom is triggering DRAM and HBM price surges. That kind of quarter on quarter jump compounds quickly, feeding directly into the 2026 retail price forecasts for PCs and phones.
Storage is on a similar trajectory. Kingston Datacenter SSD Business Manager Cameron Crandall has said in an interview that NAND prices for RAM and SSD are expected to continue to go up, noting that NAND costs are up 246 percent in just the last 60 days, a dramatic statistic captured in a warning from Kingston Datacenter SSD Business Manager Cameron Crandall about NAND costs. When both DRAM and NAND are inflating at that pace, it is difficult to imagine a scenario where finished devices do not follow.
PC builders, OEMs, and how they are passing costs to buyers
System integrators and boutique PC builders are already adjusting their pricing sheets. PC builders Maingear and CyberPowerPC have both publicly stated that prices are on the rise due to DRAM demand, warning customers that systems are about to get pricier as memory costs climb, a message summarized in a briefing on why RAM prices are rising and what Maingear and CyberPowerPC are seeing. For enthusiasts speccing out gaming rigs, that means either paying more for the same 32 GB kit or stepping down to 16 GB to stay within budget.
Major OEMs face similar trade offs, but at larger scale. Some are quietly reducing default RAM configurations on entry level laptops, while others are leaning on promotions and financing to soften the blow of higher list prices. Analysts who follow the consumer market note that rising memory prices are weighing on notebooks as well as smartphones, forcing brands to rethink how they segment product tiers to maintain profitability, a trend detailed in a report on how notebooks are being reshaped by DRAM costs. In practice, that could mean that the “student laptop” that once shipped with 8 GB of RAM now arrives with 4 GB unless buyers pay extra.
Consumers caught in the middle: less memory, higher prices, or both
For end users, the net effect is a squeeze from both directions. TrendForce, a research firm that follows the semiconductor industry, estimates memory price hikes have made smartphones and PCs more expensive to produce, prompting some brands to raise prices outright while others quietly trim memory configurations or delay upgrades, a pattern described in a report on how phones might get pricier next year. Either way, customers lose, paying more for the same performance or getting less capability for the same budget.
Some analysts frame the situation bluntly. As Mashable reports, we are in the midst of a worldwide memory shortage, due in large part to the sudden explosion of AI demand, and whether manufacturers choose to raise prices or cut specs, either way, customers lose, a sentiment captured in an inside story on how price hikes from escalating memory shortage hit buyers. For shoppers planning a new PC or phone in 2026, the practical takeaway is simple: expect to pay more attention to RAM and storage line items, because they are no longer cheap throw ins.
What buyers can realistically do now
There is no easy way for consumers to fix a global supply crunch, but there are ways to navigate it more intelligently. For PC upgraders, the message from component suppliers is clear: if you know you will need more RAM or SSD capacity soon, waiting is unlikely to reward you with lower prices. With NAND costs up 246 percent in a short window and DRAM forecast to climb further, locking in upgrades before another round of hikes can be a rational move, a point underscored in the warning that buyers should not wait if they are planning to upgrade RAM or SSD.
Phone and laptop shoppers, meanwhile, may want to prioritize models that offer user accessible memory or at least generous baseline configurations, since upgrading later could be even more expensive or impossible. Analysts tracking the global memory shortage crisis stress that just as the industry is seeing a need to add more RAM, it has become prohibitively expensive to do so, which means devices with soldered low capacity memory could age poorly, a concern raised in the global memory shortage crisis market analysis. In a world where PC and phone prices may jump up to 8 percent as memory runs short, the smartest move for consumers is to treat RAM and storage as central purchase criteria, not afterthoughts.
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