RAMmageddon Memory Crisis May Hit PC And Phone Specs Hard

The ongoing memory shortage and resulting price hikes continue to impact various markets, and according to TrendForce, smartphone, notebook, and console manufacturers, are about to react. The impact won't simply trigger price increases in existing products, either—rather, new devices are expected to compromise on other specifications as well in order to hit target price point. When not possible, or extremely difficult to alter specifications, like with ultrabooks or game consoles using pre-soldered RAM, flat price increases will be more likely.


For consumers who aren't able to invest in the PCs, phones, or consoles before the end of the year, pricing is about to get a whole lot worse. Besides price increases on existing PC/smartphone models and lowering RAM or other specifications of models yet to be introduced, TrendForce also expects the RAM shortage to limit console shipments in 2026. The late-life price decreases we normally expect from aging game consoles won't happen as long as memory shortages continue.

This news also raises questions about future releases—next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles were expected to have much more memory, but even the existing current-gen configurations have become prohibitively expensive to implement. The coming Steam Machine still hasn't had a finalized price point announced either, and that's expected to perform more within the ranges of current-gen consoles as well. It's possible that we could see similar memory configurations to current-gen devices, or even outright delays in face of this current DRAM crisis.
The report suggests these changes will happen in Q12026, but some of the impact can already be felt, especially in the DIY PC market. While memory usually accounts for about 20-30% of a given machine's cost, price increases of 2x - 3x for that memory are forcing DIY-ers to make some tough decisions. Micron abandoning the consumer market almost entirely in favor of AI opportunities surely won't help matters, either.