RAMmageddon: Why Your Next Laptop, Phone, and Console Will Cost More

The price data is stark:

• DRAM contract prices surged a record 90–95% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2026, followed by another 58–63% increase in Q2 .
• NAND flash contract prices jumped 70–75% in Q2 2026, accelerating from roughly 60% in the prior quarter .
• Enterprise NVMe SSDs saw some models jump from around $3,000 to over $17,000 in just nine months .

Wall Street firm Jefferies forecasts a further 40–50% rise in Q3 2026 and 30–40% in Q4, with annual DRAM increases of 40–45% through 2027. The first meaningful price moderation, a 15–20% decline, is not expected until 2028 . Memory manufacturers have publicly stated they are sold out through 2026 with no meaningful new capacity arriving before late 2027 .

How This Hits Your Wallet: PCs, Smartphones, and Consoles

The consequences for consumers are already being felt. Gartner projects that the combined increase in DRAM and SSD prices will push up PC prices by 17% and smartphone prices by 13% by the end of 2026 . This isn't just a forecast — price hikes are already rolling out.

PC makers and OEMs: HP, Dell, and even the Raspberry Pi have raised their product prices, explicitly citing rising memory costs . Sony and Microsoft have warned that console prices may rise as the cost increases ripple through their supply chains .

Shipment declines: The higher prices are suppressing demand. IDC now forecasts the global PC market to shrink by 11.3% in 2026, and smartphone shipments to fall by 12.9% — both figures revised sharply down from earlier estimates of 8–9% and 5.2%, respectively . The dynamic is a "profitability crisis": OEMs say they cannot fully pass on the memory cost increases without destroying demand entirely, so they are cutting production instead .

Apple's Struggle: Price Hikes on Macs and iPads, iPhones Likely Next

Apple, the world's most valuable consumer electronics company with the industry's most vaunted supply chain, is not immune. On June 25, 2026, Apple raised prices on its iPad and MacBook lineups, stating it could no longer absorb the soaring memory and storage chip costs .

• MacBook Pro prices rose by up to $400 .
• The Mac Mini saw its starting price increase by roughly $200 .
• Forbes reports that the price hikes range up to 18% on some Mac models, but these may not fully offset the component cost increases, compressing Apple's margins .

The iPhone was spared — for now. The iPhone line has not yet seen a price increase, but Apple CEO Tim Cook has warned that higher prices are "unavoidable" due to rising and unsustainable supply costs . Analysts widely expect iPhone prices to rise later in 2026 or with the next model cycle . Cook also confirmed earlier in 2026 that Apple faced challenges securing enough memory components to meet iPhone demand, directly limiting production volumes .

Apple's stock fell after the June price hike announcement, as analysts weighed the risks of margin compression and potential demand destruction .

A Long Road Ahead: No Relief Until 2028

This shortage is not a cyclical blip that will self-correct. Memory makers are not building new factories quickly enough to meet both AI and consumer demand simultaneously. IDC expects the supply challenges to persist throughout 2026 and well into 2027 . Jefferies' forecast for a 15–20% price decline in 2028 is described as a "moderation," not a return to pre-shortage levels .

In short, the era of cheap memory is over for the foreseeable future. Every device you buy — from a laptop to a phone to a game console — now carries a hidden "AI tax" that is reshaping the consumer electronics landscape.