The RAM shortage has hit just about every corner of the consumer electronics industry, it seems, and now smartphone sales are in for a decline due to the lack of RAM, causing increased prices. This was likely an inevitable destination for smartphones, and it shouldn’t be a total surprise.
A decline in the market has been expected by many since the RAM shortage started, and sales were expected to drop. Like with GPUs, RAM kits, SSDs, and prebuilt PCs (really anything with memory as one of the components), smartphones are expected to get more expensive to account for the increased component costs.
Prices won’t necessarily increase for every brand in every region. However, higher prices have already started to trickle in. Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy S26 series will cost more money this year compared to its predecessors. The only model that didn’t get more expensive was the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This trend will only continue as the year goes on.
The RAM shortage could cause smartphone sales to decline 13% in 2026
The exact percentage obviously won’t be clear till the year is over. However, International Data Corporation has already analyzed the data available so far and predicts that smartphone shipments in 2026 could decline by as much as 13%. That number could go higher or lower, but even a 13% drop could have a significant impact on individual brands.
That being said, the market is expected to bounce back by a considerable amount going into 2027, and continue upward through 2028. IDC then expects it to decline slightly through 2029 and 2030.
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