THE artificial intelligence He is capable of doing wonderful things. Maybe it creates hyper-realistic images out of nowhere that quickly answer any questions you ask. But of course, for all this to be possible, the companies that develop it must have the means … suitable parts. And among the components they need are RAM memoriespresent in almost all the devices we use every day, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, consoles and cars. The problem is that the rise of AI and tools like ChatGPT made them rare. Prices, in just a few months, have almost tripled. And this is obviously not good news for anyone who wants to buy a gadget soon.
According to recent data from ComputerBase, RAM kit prices increased by an average of 252% between September and December. The 32 GB kits that previously cost 87 euros now reach 355, and the 64 GB that were in the 245 range have reached 700. This increase will be carried over into the devices that will begin to hit the market in the coming months. You will have to pay more, and in some cases less, as the analysis firm TrendForce recently pointed out: “Smartphone and laptop brands are forced to increase the prices of their products and reduce specifications.”
TrendForce also points out that in the case of Apple, rising RAM costs could lead the company “to reevaluate its pricing strategies for new models” of iPhone and could also lead the Apple company not to reduce the cost of smartphones that have been on the market for some time. And the same goes for Android, which could even see its usual specifications reduced; especially at the low end.
If currently the majority of mid-range mobile phones, which move below 500 euros, arrive with 6 or 12 GB of memory, TrendForce expects that the 2026 models in this class will move between 6 and 8. Meanwhile, those in the low range would go from 6 GB to 4, a configuration that began to lose its presence on the market at the beginning of this decade.
According to the analysis firm, everything indicates that the buyer will have to settle for smartphones that will arrive with slightly lower performance in terms of multitasking and ability to manage demanding applications in 2026.
Falling sales, rising prices
Other analysis firms point out that this situation could lead to a drop in phone sales, although slight, of around 2%, according to Counterpoint. A more pronounced phenomenon is expected to be the increase in terminal prices, which could increase by an average of 7%, almost double what was previously forecast. Additionally, he points out that companies that compete at the high end have an easier time not being particularly affected by the RAM shortage.
“At the lower price ranges, large smartphone price increases are not sustainable,” says Yang Wang, principal analyst at Counterpoint. “Apple and Samsung (undisputed leaders in the high-end segment) are the most prepared to face the coming quarters,” he notes.
Either way, smartphones won’t be the only ones affected by the situation. In another report, TrendForce warns that the cost of memory in console manufacturing was as much as 23% of the manufacturing price at the end of 2025, and expects it to exceed 35% throughout 2026 in machines like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. It is not excluded that Sony and Microsoft will respectively review the prices of their desktop computers in the coming months. Or, in the best case, keep prices high, even if these are systems that are already on the verge of a generational change.
“With the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S already consolidated, the lack of pricing incentives could significantly reduce consumer demand,” TrendForce warns. He also points out that console sales could fall by up to 4.4% in 2026.
Regarding laptops, TrendForce expects price fluctuations to be more noticeable from the second quarter of 2026. “Current finished product inventory levels and economic memory help protect near-term profits,” the analysis firm emphasizes.
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