What you need to know
- Smartphone prices are climbing rapidly as rising RAM and chipset costs force Android brands to charge more for new devices.
- Qualcomm's upcoming chipset price hike could push the prices of Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Honor, and other Android phones even higher.
- Buying an Android phone later this year or in 2027 will likely cost more than buying an equivalent model today.
The best time to buy a new smartphone was probably yesterday. Why? Because the next one you buy is almost certainly going to cost more.
It's no secret that smartphone prices have been climbing this year. Samsung has already raised prices across its Galaxy Z8 lineup, while Google's upcoming Pixel 11 series is also expected to launch at higher prices than its predecessor. Much of that has been blamed on the ongoing RAM price crisis that's affecting the entire smartphone industry.
Unfortunately, things don't seem to be getting any better. According to a Bloomberg report, Qualcomm has informed its hardware partners that it will increase chipset prices by a double-digit percentage starting September 1, 2026. The company reportedly told partners that it can no longer absorb the higher manufacturing costs and will instead pass them on.
That, in turn, means smartphone makers will have to pay more for the chipsets that power their devices. And when component costs go up, those increases almost always make their way to consumers.
Since Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips power smartphones from Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Honor, Motorola, and many other Android brands, this isn't just a problem for one company.
It's an industry-wide issue, and chances are the next Android phone you buy in late 2026 or even 2027 will cost more than an equivalent phone would have just a year earlier.
That's exactly why I say the best time to buy a new smartphone was yesterday.
Of course, sales events like Black Friday and the holiday shopping season will still offer some excellent deals. But if list prices continue to climb the way they have, even those discounts may not end up feeling quite as generous as they once did.
