Prices of mobile DRAM memory continue to rise sharply in the second quarter of 2026, creating increasing pressure on smartphone manufacturers. According to the latest research from TrendForce, the price increase particularly affects LPDDR4X and LPDDR5X memory solutions, which are used in a large number of today's mobile devices.
TrendForce estimates that the average selling price of LPDDR4X memory in the second quarter of 2026 will increase by at least 70 to 75 percent compared to the previous quarter, while LPDDR5X could see an even greater increase of 78 to 83 percent. Such a price jump comes after several consecutive quarters of growth, further increasing the pressure on manufacturers.
According to the same report, Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are using different pricing strategies. Samsung is reportedly moving towards a more aggressive model with a more pronounced one-time increase, while SK hynix is using a more gradual approach with milder increases for initial offers. Final pricing formation is expected by the end of May.
The price increase could also affect the configurations of new smartphones. In the higher segment, 12 GB of RAM is increasingly becoming the standard, while weaker expansion of models with 16 GB of memory is expected. In the mid-range segment, manufacturers are returning to 8 GB as the main configuration, while entry-level models generally remain around 4 GB of RAM.
Despite the market pressure, TrendForce expects that the average DRAM capacity in smartphones will rise to 8.5 GB during 2026, representing an annual growth of 10 percent. This is influenced by the gradual withdrawal of models with 2 GB and 3 GB of memory, as well as reduced production of devices with weaker specifications.
For end users, this could mean fewer devices with generous amounts of memory in the same price range, a slower transition to 16 GB of RAM in flagship models, and potentially greater pressure on the prices of new mobile phones. Manufacturers, according to TrendForce, will also have to rely on software optimizations, collaboration with application developers, and greater use of cloud services to reduce the need for local memory resources.
TrendForce concludes that high prices of mobile DRAM will continue to create deep and lasting pressure on the global smartphone industry in the upcoming quarters.
