The RAM shortage is coming for everything you care about

The RAM shortage is hitting your next phone

The global memory shortage is now set to directly impact smartphone prices and availability. After a strong 2025, analysts from IDC, Omdia, and Counterpoint all predict the RAM crunch will force vendors to prioritize profitability, leading to fewer devices and higher costs.

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon stated a coming dip in its smartphone business will be "100 percent" because of the memory shortage. IDC now predicts the average smartphone price could increase by as much as 8 percent, with steeper hikes on budget models.

This could push a typical $500 phone over $600. Even flagship models will offer less value, with IDC noting new Pro models will likely stick to 12GB of RAM instead of upgrading to 16GB.

Apple is not immune. The Wall Street Journal reports AI companies are outbidding Apple for memory supplies, pressuring its supply chain. CEO Tim Cook told analysts the company is looking at "a range of options" to deal with the shortage's impact on margins.

Industry sources told ZDNet Korea that Apple may pay 80 to 100 percent more for memory this quarter after renegotiating with Samsung and SK Hynix.

Game consoles and handhelds are getting pricier

The subsidy model for game consoles is collapsing under the weight of tariffs and now memory costs. Bloomberg reports the RAM shortage could lead to a price hike for the Nintendo Switch 2 and delay Sony's PS6 to 2028 or even 2029.

Valve has signaled the affordable console dream is over. It discontinued the $399 Steam Deck, raised its starting price to $549, and delayed its Steam Machine due to the memory shortage. The $549 Steam Deck OLED is now out of stock specifically because of the crisis.

Other PC handhelds are seeing prices climb:

• The MSI Claw 8 AI Plus has increased from $999 to between $1,099 and $1,199.
• The upcoming Lenovo Legion Go 2 will cost more or offer less than its predecessor at the same $1,199 price point.

Laptop and PC prices are soaring

PCs have been hit quickly because manufacturers didn't stockpile RAM in advance. Almost every major laptop maker—including Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and Acer—is planning price hikes of 10 to 30 percent.

Dell has already increased laptop prices by $55 to $765 depending on configuration. Framework, which makes modular laptops, says its memory cost has risen from $10 per gigabyte to as much as $16, forcing it to raise prices 6 to 16 percent.

"We are again only increasing pricing enough to cover the increases in cost from our suppliers," Framework CEO Nirav Patel wrote. Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing told Bloomberg his memory costs increased 40 to 50 percent last quarter and suggested they might double soon.

Analysts predict the entire PC market could decline by up to 8.9 percent in 2026 due to these pressures.

No relief until 2028

Industry leaders see no end to the shortage in the near term. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan stated in early February, "There's no relief until 2028." This aligns with predictions from the major memory manufacturers themselves.

Micron told Wccftech its new Idaho fabrication plant won't open until mid-2027, with real output not expected until 2028. SK Hynix has previously predicted the shortage would last through late 2027.

The three companies controlling 95 percent of global DRAM supply—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron—are building new production capacity slowly. They are wary of overproducing and crashing prices, as some nearly went bankrupt doing so in the past.

Samsung is expected to increase memory wafer supply by just 5 percent this year. In the meantime, the added costs from these companies will continue to be passed down to consumers.