Why Phones Cost More in 2026: Memory Prices Are Behind the Rise

Update, November 2: Lava, an Indian handset maker, said on November 1 that its smartphone prices will rise by up to ₹3,000 from November 15 because of ongoing memory shortages. See our report on the Lava increase.

Phone prices are rising in 2026, and the same cause keeps coming up: the cost of memory chips. Apple's iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 in the United States, $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro. India's Infinix GT 50 Pro costs nearly three times its predecessor. Global shipments fell sharply in the third quarter, and the trackers blame memory costs for much of the drop.

What is driving the cost

The main cost pressure comes from DRAM and NAND flash, the chips used for working memory and storage. Prices have climbed, and the share of a phone's cost that goes to these parts has risen with them. Some coverage ties the rise to AI data centers, which compete for the same chips. One tracker describes the result as an AI led memory crisis.

Apple's price move

Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max on September 9, 2026. The Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, both with 256GB of storage as the base. The Pro was $1,099 for the iPhone 17 Pro. Before launch, one forecast had put the increase at up to $200 for the Pro models, so the actual rise came in below that estimate.

Other phones

China's Huawei Pura 90 Plus starts at CNY 5,499 for its 12GB and 256GB model. India's Infinix GT 50 Pro costs ₹69,999 for its only configuration, while the GT 30 Pro launched at ₹24,999 in June 2025. Our view is that buyers of mid range phones will feel the change most.

What to expect

The trackers expect the market to stay weak through the end of 2026. Our view is that price cuts on new models may arrive more slowly than usual while memory costs stay high. If you are choosing a phone now, compare the storage and memory you need against the price rather than waiting for a discount.