The sharp rise in mobile DRAM prices is increasing cost pressure on smartphone manufacturers. According to a new report, manufacturers are now preparing to reduce RAM capacity.
Price increases in the mobile DRAM market have begun to challenge smartphone manufacturers. According to a new report shared by TrendForce, particularly LPDDR4X and LPDDR5X memory prices are experiencing very significant increases throughout the second quarter. This situation directly impacts smartphone production costs.
Mobile DRAM Prices Continue to Rise
According to the report, the average selling price of LPDDR4X solutions will increase by 70% to 75% in the second quarter of 2026. For LPDDR5X, the increase is expected to reach 78% to 83%. It is stated that these consecutive price hikes are significantly challenging smartphone manufacturers' cost plans.
According to TrendForce, Samsung is pursuing a more aggressive pricing policy, while SK hynix is implementing more controlled increases. However, in both cases, manufacturers' memory costs have risen significantly. It is stated that brands may reduce their 2026 smartphone production targets due to increasing costs.
The high-price environment also directly affects the RAM capacity in phones. While 12 GB RAM has become standard in the premium segment, the use of 16 GB RAM is noted to be slowing down. In the mid-range segment, manufacturers have started to revert to 8 GB RAM. In the entry-level, 4 GB capacity remains common.
Despite this, the average smartphone RAM capacity is estimated to reach 8.5 GB in 2026. The main reason for this is the gradual withdrawal of 2GB and 3GB RAM models from the market. Furthermore, TrendForce states that manufacturers will take more aggressive steps not only in hardware but also in software optimizations. Accordingly, efforts to reduce RAM consumption may be undertaken in collaboration with application developers.
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