Xiaomi's 2026 Price Hike: Memory Crunch and What's Coming Next

The Great 2026 Smartphone Price Gouge: You Knew It Was Coming

So, Xiaomi's Lu Weibing is out there warning about a memory crunch jacking up smartphone prices in 2026. Give me a break. Like we didn't see this coming a mile away. These guys act like it's some unpredictable act of God, not the predictable outcome of, you know, capitalism.

The Memory Cartel Strikes Again

First off, let's be real: "memory crunch" is just fancy talk for "we're gonna squeeze every last penny out of you." Samsung, Xiaomi, all these guys...they're singing the same tune. "Oh no, the rising costs!" Yeah, rising into their already overflowing bank accounts. I mean, Reuters noted Samsung raised prices on certain memory chips by 30-60% this month. This isn't some future problem; it's happening now.

And the timing, offcourse, is just perfect, isn't it? Right before the Galaxy S26 launch, suddenly Samsung is "under pressure" to raise prices? Please. It’s like clockwork. They float these rumors, gauge the public reaction, and then act all surprised when they have to "reluctantly" pass the costs onto the consumer.

Xiaomi's even trying to spin this as a good thing, pushing their "premium models" like the Mi 17 series to compete with the iPhone 17. Translation: "We're gonna make you pay even more for features you don't need, just so we can pad our profit margins." Lu Weibing even had the gall to suggest that some companies will "fall behind" or "exit the market" because of these rising prices. Is that a threat? Sounds like a threat.

But wait a minute... Xiaomi reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results. Up 22.3%! Electric vehicle unit posting a profit! So, where's all this "pressure" coming from, exactly? Is it real, or just a convenient excuse to line their pockets? And if their EV unit is turning a profit, why not offset some of the memory costs with those profits? Oh, right, because that would be bad for shareholders. My bad.

Blame AI, Blame Someone Else... Just Don't Blame Us!

They're blaming AI, of course. The "strong AI-driven demand for HBM" is driving up global memory prices, they say. As if they weren't already planning to jack up prices anyway. AI is just the scapegoat du jour. Next year it’ll be... what, the rising cost of unobtanium?

TrendForce is lowering their 2026 production forecasts for smartphones and notebooks because of this memory situation. [News] Memory Crunch Hits Smartphones: Xiaomi Flags 2026 Price Hikes, Samsung Under Memory, AP Pressure. Smartphone output down 2%? Notebooks down 2.4%? So, fewer devices at higher prices. That's the plan. And we're just supposed to sit here and take it.

I saw some Amazon UK Black Friday deals floating around, trying to distract us with "bargains" on the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and the Pixel 10. Black Friday deals: Amazon UK discounts Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Pixel 10, Poco F7 and more A “bargain” at £859? Get real. That's still a small fortune for a phone that'll be obsolete in two years. They think we're stupid. They expect us to believe this nonsense, and honestly...

Then again, maybe I'm the crazy one here. Maybe people will line up to pay these inflated prices. Maybe they're already convinced that the latest Xiaomi phone is worth more than a month's rent. Maybe I'm just too cynical for this brave new world of planned obsolescence and corporate greed.

The Only Thing Rising Faster Than Memory Prices Is My Blood Pressure