Samsung Said to Lift DRAM and NAND Prices for Smartphone Makers

According to a report from Korea’s Sisa Journal, Samsung Electronics – specifically its Device Solutions (DS) unit – is gearing up to raise the price of DRAM and NAND chips used in smartphones. The hike isn’t trivial; sources say it could sit somewhere between 7 % and 10 %.

The first players in the negotiation circle are Chinese phone makers. Samsung has already opened talks with the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, trying to get them on board with the new pricing structure. Apple, meanwhile, is expected to be called back to the negotiating table later in the year, roughly between October and December. Even Samsung’s own handset division isn’t exempt – the DS and DX arms operate independently, so the flagship Galaxy line will also feel the impact.

Apple, however, might have a bit more leeway. Analysts point out that the Cupertino giant consumes roughly twice the amount of NAND that Samsung does for its iPhones, and about three times what Xiaomi uses. That massive buying power could give Apple some bargaining muscle, making it harder for Samsung to extract the full increase.

Why is Samsung doing this now? The memory market has been riding a wave of high‑margin products like high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) for servers and premium DRAM for data centers. Those segments are flush with cash, so fabs have been churning out more of that “big ticket” silicon, while the lower‑cost LPDDR chips that power phones have taken a back seat. As a result, supply constraints have pushed up prices for the very components that go into every mid‑range and flagship smartphone.

Market‑research firm Omdia backs up the story with numbers. Their data shows a steady climb in the cost of memory modules since last year, and they expect the trend to linger into 2027, albeit at a slower pace. For context, an 8 GB + 256 GB configuration that cost around $35 in Q3 2025 is projected to be roughly $144 by Q4 2026. A higher‑end 12 GB + 512 GB setup, which was $60 in Q3 2025, could be as pricey as $206 by the end of 2026.

These figures only represent the raw silicon cost – the actual impact on a phone’s retail price could be a bit higher once you factor in packaging, testing and profit margins. Consumers may notice modest price bumps across new devices, especially in the premium segment where manufacturers have less wiggle room.

In short, the memory squeeze is real, and Samsung’s decision to pass part of that cost onto smartphone makers signals a new chapter for the industry. Whether brands can absorb the increase or decide to shift to alternative suppliers remains to be seen, but the price pressure is unlikely to disappear any time soon.