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Why Samsung Says Memory Shortages Will Make Every Gadget Pricier

Why Samsung Says Memory Shortages Will Make Every Gadget Pricier

Samsung’s Won-Jin Lee reportedly said that with memory prices skyrocketing, the company might have to reprice its devices.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Ketan Pratap | Updated: 7 January 2026 18:35 IST

Why Samsung Says Memory Shortages Will Make Every Gadget Pricier

The DRAM shortage in the consumer market is fuelled by rising demand from AI companies for data centres

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Highlights

The comments were made by the Samsung executive at CES 2026
Lee added that the RAM shortage is “going to affect everyone”
Samsung increased memory chip prices by 60 percent in November

Samsung delivered some grim news amid the ongoing festivities at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026 in Las Vegas. On the second day of the event, a company executive reportedly said that the ongoing memory chip shortage is increasing, and it might force Samsung to reprice its devices in the coming days. The South Korean tech giant's position makes it clear that if the DRAM shortage continues for even a few more months, everyday consumer tech gadgets will start getting more expensive, making a bigger dent in consumers' pockets.

Samsung to Reportedly Reprice Devices Amid Memory Shortage

According to Bloomberg, Samsung's President and Chief Marketing Officer, Won-Jin Lee, delivered the bad news in an interview. “There's going to be issues around semiconductor supplies, and it's going to affect everyone,” Lee was quoted as saying. He was quick to add that the company's primary aim is not to convey that burden to the consumers; however, the executive made it clear that the company can absorb costs only up to a certain point.

“Prices are going up even as we speak,” Lee reportedly said, reminding everyone about the concerning situation that has become the new norm since the last few months. It all began after major AI companies, such as Google, Meta, OpenAI, xAI, and others, decided to build new data centres to manage the heavy processing demand they were seeing from consumers.

Samsung Could Offer Galaxy S26 Series at the Same Price as Last Year

One of the core components used in data centres (after AI-enabled GPUs and processors) is memory chips. These are industry-grade DRAMs, which are unfortunately also used in all kinds of consumer tech devices, from laptops to smartphones, and from gaming consoles to virtual reality headsets. Since AI companies were willing to shell out more money for these components, manufacturers prioritised them, leading to a shortage in the consumer market.

This shortage fuelled the exponential price hike that has already become visible across the globe in both RAM prices and the increasing prices of consumer tech gadgets. Recently, Realme India's Chief Marketing Officer, Francis Wong, told Gadgets 360, “Yes, every smartphone launching in 2026 will be more expensive than phones with similar specs in 2025. This trend is unstoppable and will continue till H2 2027.”

Wong was also quick to point out that Samsung was among the semiconductor suppliers which raised memory component prices by as much as 60 percent in November 2025, which led to the initial wave of inflation, which impacted the price of the iQOO 15. With the company now again highlighting the rising RAM prices, future smartphone launches may witness a similar trend.

Perhaps more worrying is the statement about repricing its devices. This means the company might change and increase the cost of its smartphones, tablets, home appliances, and more. While there is nothing concrete on this front from the company, things might change in the coming months.

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Further reading: Samsung, RAM shortage, RAM price hike, AI, Artificial Intelligence, CES 2026, CES

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Chief Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More