Updated

Updated · Engadget · Jul 23

Samsung Raises Foldable Flagship Prices by $100 as AI Boom and Memory Crunch Lift Costs

Updated

Updated · Engadget · Jul 23

Samsung Raises Foldable Flagship Prices by $100 as AI Boom and Memory Crunch Lift Costs

1 articles · Updated · Engadget · Jul 23

$100 price hikes now apply across Samsung's latest foldable flagship and ultra-flagship phones, marking a broad increase rather than a one-off premium model adjustment.
Samsung's move comes as the AI boom, tougher economic conditions and an expected memory crunch push handset makers to charge more even as value and component costs diverge.
Other brands are expected to follow: Google is rumored to add at least $100 to new Pixel phones, while Apple has already signaled higher iPhone prices this fall.
Higher prices are already cooling demand elsewhere — Valve dropped the $399 Steam Deck entry model and raised other versions to $789 and $949, a change one report linked to an 82% sales drop.
IDC expects the pricing wave to drag on sales through the rest of 2026 and into 2027, with smartphone demand facing a potential record low as stretched household budgets curb upgrades.

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If premium smartphones now cost as much as laptops, how long before consumers abandon annual upgrade cycles entirely?

With AI data centers devouring memory chips, will the era of the affordable smartphone permanently end for budget-conscious consumers?

As Apple and Samsung push flagship prices to record highs, could this AI-driven component crisis accidentally solve our e-waste problem?

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