Friday, May 15th 2026 Mobile DRAM Contract Prices Continue Rising in 2Q26, Pressuring Smartphone Production Press Release by TheLostSwede Friday, 16:10 Discuss 7 Comments Surging mobile DRAM contract prices in 2Q26 continue to place even greater cost pressure on smartphone brands, according to Tren… …
… Each company had originally anticipated manufacturing volumes exceeding 90 million smartphones, but current estimates suggest they are now unlikely to reach those figures due to the same cost pressures affecting the broader supply chain. …
… Rising memory prices hit smartphone OLED demand harder than expected In the report, Counterpoint Research revised its 2026 growth projections for foldable, flexible, and rigid smartphone OLED panels, citing softer demand as rising memory prices put pressure on device costs: “In 2026, within smartph… …
… Sales weakness was particularly severe below the $100 smartphone tier, where rising memory costs and shrinking margins are putting pressure on smaller Android brands. …
… Experts have been predicting that products like smartphones will cost shoppers more this year , which will likely lead to a drop in overall phone sales . …
… AI’s massive appetite for memory chips is driving up component costs, putting pricing pressure on the entire smartphone industry. …
… Unlike its peers, Apple mostly maintained stable pricing despite rising BOM costs, reflecting its ability to absorb cost pressures and remain insulated from the memory crisis, which helped strengthen its competitive position during the quarter. …
Smartphone shipments could drop by 13.9% this year That would bring them to the lowest levels since 2013 The fall is largely thanks to rising memory prices 2026 looks set to be a bad year for the smartphone industry, as it’s predicted that shipments will fall 13.9% year-on-year. …
… Wei said customers remained positive on the AI demand outlook, while also acknowledging cost pressures and the widening gap between chip demand and available manufacturing capacity. …
… Secondly, the smartphone market is starting to feel the pressure from ever-rising memory chip prices, and there's a significant slowdown in smartphone purchases. Additionally, delayed smartphone launches contributed to a more compressed sell-through in Q1. …