Last updated: 13 August 2026. This page tracks smartphone price increases in India through 2026. Prices have risen across the market because of a global memory chip shortage rather than ordinary inflation, and the pressure is not expected to ease before 2027.
The headline numbers
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Memory component prices since late 2025 | Up ~90–120% | Industry reporting |
| Average hike per device, early 2026 | ~₹1,500 | Market reporting |
| Full observed range | ₹500 – ₹8,000 | Market reporting |
| Across 21 brands, Jan–May 2026 | Up 8–12% | Trakin Tech / Techarc |
| Sub-$200 segment, Q1 2026 | Up 30%+ | Market data |
| Memory share of budget phone build cost | Up to 40% | Industry reporting |
Notable repricing this year
OnePlus 15R — reported to have taken three separate price increases within five months of launch, ending around ₹7,000 above where it started. A phone becoming more expensive after release inverts how the market is supposed to work, and it is the clearest single illustration of what is happening.
Xiaomi — warned in late 2025 that DRAM costs could push 2026 prices up by around 25 per cent.
Apple iPhone 17 series — prices in India have been reported as increasing from August, alongside a supply crunch.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro — not launched yet, but analysts at IDC have suggested up to $200 more than the previous generation, and the Wall Street Journal has reported a possible $1,399 starting price, attributing it partly to Apple's RAM costs having more than tripled.
Where the increases are concentrated
The pattern is consistent: the cheaper the phone, the harder it has been hit. Memory can account for as much as 40 per cent of what a budget device costs to build, so a doubling of memory prices cannot be absorbed within thin margins.
Flagships have absorbed increases more easily because memory is a smaller share of a larger bill of materials — though as the iPhone 18 Pro reporting shows, even the top of the market is now feeling it.
Detail: the RAM price crisis explained and why budget phones are disappearing.
The hidden increase: specification cuts
Not every rise shows up on a price tag. Where a brand cannot raise a price without losing its segment, it protects the price point by shipping less — 6GB of RAM where last year's model had 8GB, or a 128GB base where it used to be 256GB.
That means comparing model names across years has stopped being reliable in 2026. Check the specification, not the generation number.
What the demand side is doing
Buyers have responded, and the data is striking.
Counterpoint Research expects India's second-hand smartphone market to grow around 12 per cent in 2026 while new handset sales decline roughly 11 per cent. Omdia reported that in Q1 2026, display panels shipped to the refurbishment industry overtook those going to new smartphone manufacturing for the first time — roughly 298 million against 289 million, up about 20 per cent year on year.
A Techarc survey of nearly 6,000 buyers found a majority of intended festive-season demand may not convert into purchases if prices keep climbing.
Outlook
IDC has indicated the memory shortage may continue to affect smartphones and PCs into 2027. Counterpoint expects memory prices to keep rising through 2026 and beyond.
Memory fabrication capacity takes years and billions to add, so relief depends on AI demand plateauing or new capacity arriving. Neither has a confirmed date. Planning around a return to 2024 pricing is a bet against every published forecast.
What to do about it
If your phone works, keep it — replacing a battery costs a fraction of replacing a device, and that remains the cheapest option available to anyone.
If you need to buy, buy sooner rather than later, and check specifications rather than model names. And compare against the renewed market, where devices contain memory bought before the shortage: a renewed iPhone 13 from around ₹33,999 or an iPhone 11 from about ₹15,499 is not exposed to 2026 component costs.
More: should you buy now or wait? · why prices are rising · Browse Premium Renewed iPhones
Frequently asked questions
How much have smartphone prices risen in India in 2026?
Across 21 brands between January and May 2026, prices rose 8 to 12 per cent on average. Individual increases have ranged from around ₹500 to ₹8,000, and the sub-$200 segment rose more than 30 per cent in Q1.
Which phones have had the biggest price increases?
Budget devices, proportionally. The OnePlus 15R has been reported as taking three increases in five months, ending around ₹7,000 above launch price.
Why are smartphone prices rising in India?
A global shortage of DRAM and NAND memory chips, driven by AI data centre demand, has raised component prices roughly 90 to 120 per cent since late 2025. Brands have passed that through to retail.
Are phone specifications getting worse?
In some cases. Where a price point must be protected, brands reduce RAM or storage instead, so a newer model can offer less than its predecessor. Compare specifications rather than model names.
When will smartphone prices stabilise?
Not before 2027 on current forecasts. IDC has indicated the memory shortage may persist into 2027, and new fabrication capacity takes years to build.
