Samsung Electronics plans a 7% to 10% increase in smartphone DRAM and NAND chip prices, signalling ongoing market tightness driven by AI demand and supply shortages, with implications for global handset costs into 2027.
Samsung Electronics is reportedly preparing to raise the prices of smartphone DRAM and NAND chips by 7% to 10%, a move that could feed through to handset costs across the industry. According to Korean publication Sisa Journal, the talks are being led by Samsung’s semiconductor division, while its device business remains separate. Chinese smartphone makers are said to be first in line for the revised pricing, with Apple expected to be drawn into negotiations later in the year.
The timing reflects a tighter memory market shaped by artificial intelligence demand. Tom’s Hardware reported that contract prices for NAND and DRAM rose sharply in the fourth quarter of 2025, with aggressive cloud buying and supply shortages pushing some prices up by as much as 20%. That shift has helped memory suppliers prioritise higher-margin products such as high-bandwidth memory and server DRAM, rather than the LPDDR parts used in smartphones.
Apple’s leverage may be stronger than most. Analysts cited in the reports estimate that Apple buys roughly twice as much NAND for its phones as Samsung and about three times as much as Xiaomi, giving it more room to resist steep increases. Even so, the broader market outlook remains firm. Omdia data cited in the lead report suggests that the cost of an 8GB/256GB memory-and-storage package climbed from about $35 in the third quarter of 2025 to $140 by the third quarter of 2026, while a 12GB/512GB configuration is projected to rise to $206 in the same period.
That leaves smartphone makers facing a longer period of pressure. According to the market forecasts cited by the reports, memory prices are expected to stay elevated until the first half of 2027. Tom’s Hardware also noted that spot prices had been falling in mid-2024 because of ample inventory and Chinese action against refurbished DRAM smuggling, underlining how quickly the market has swung from oversupply to shortage.
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