Nothing CEO says phone prices are going to keep going up
With RAM getting more expensive, Carl Pei says holiday discounts probably won’t be the same this year.
by Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.
If you’re thinking about upgrading your phone, “the best time was yesterday,” according to Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei, echoing a message we heard during MWC. As Android Authority reports, Pei said in a post on X that the RAM shortage has already impacted Nothing’s less expensive mid-range phone: “For Phone 4A, memory costs doubled between when we decided to build the device and when it launched. They’ve doubled again since.” He warned that “Phone prices are going up, and they’ll keep going up into next year.”
Pei says RAM can now account for over 50 percent of the cost of a new phone. Nothing’s just the latest phone maker to warn of looming price hikes — Samsung and Google are both expected to raise prices on their phones as a result of higher memory costs.
Waiting for deals might not help, either, with Pei adding, “This year’s sale season won’t have the discounts people are used to.”
Memory is now the most expensive component in a smartphone. It’s more expensive than the processor, more expensive than the display, and can account for more than 50% of the total hardware bill.
For Phone (4a), memory costs doubled between when we decided to build the device and when it launched. They’ve doubled again since.
I posted about this earlier this year. It’s now playing out, faster than predicted.
Phone prices are going up, and they’ll keep going up into next year. Since February, new phones have been launching up to $100 more expensive than their predecessors. In India, phones above ₹30K have seen price jumps of ₹7,000 or more.
The natural instinct is to buy ahead. It doesn’t work that way. In a shortage, memory is allocated, not bought. You get what you’re given, at the current price.
If you’ve been waiting to upgrade a device, the best time was yesterday. The next best time is now. This year’s sale season won’t have the discounts people are used to.
