DRAM and SSD Prices Surge Again as Memory Shortages Hit PCs and Phones

Buying RAM or storage for a PC is becoming far more expensive in 2026, and the latest figures show that the pressure is spreading across nearly every consumer memory category. Prices for DDR4, LPDDR memory, SSDs, eMMC storage, and UFS chips all climbed sharply during the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year.

The biggest increase came from 96 Gb LPDDR5X memory, commonly used in smartphones and thin laptops. Its average price rose by 89% in one quarter, moving from about $77.1 to $145.9. That kind of increase makes it harder for laptop and phone makers to keep prices steady without cutting margins, changing specifications, or raising the price of finished devices.

Sigmaintell’s latest market data also shows that older DDR4 memory has become much more expensive. A 16 GB DDR4 module increased from roughly $137 in the first quarter to $207.1 in the second quarter. That is a 51% jump in only a few months.

Consumer Memory Is Being Squeezed by Higher Demand Elsewhere

The problem is not limited to one type of memory. DRAM makers are allocating more manufacturing capacity toward high margin products used in AI servers, enterprise systems, and advanced data center hardware. That leaves less supply for standard DDR and LPDDR memory used in PCs, laptops, smartphones, handhelds, and other consumer devices.

This shift has been building since the second half of 2025, but the recent price movement shows that the shortage is still getting worse. Research firms have also warned that commodity DRAM and NAND supply may remain tight through 2027 or even 2028 as new production capacity takes time to arrive.

For PC builders, the impact is already visible. Memory kits that once sat in a reasonable price range are now much harder to find at their earlier prices. The same is happening with NVMe SSDs, which were one of the best value upgrades for a gaming PC only a year ago.

SSDs and Phone Storage Are Also Becoming More Expensive

Storage costs are rising at the same time. A 512 GB PCIe Gen4 SSD is now averaging about $126.3, representing a 54% increase from the previous quarter. That affects both DIY upgrades and prebuilt PCs, because storage is a standard part of nearly every desktop and laptop configuration.

Mobile storage is under even greater pressure. UFS 3.1 storage, which is widely used in smartphones, rose by 103%. uMCP packages, which combine memory and storage for compact devices, climbed by 107%.

These increases are likely to reach finished products over time. Laptop makers, phone brands, console companies, and PC manufacturers may respond with higher prices, lower base storage options, or fewer upgrades at the same price tier.

For now, anyone planning a PC build or upgrade may want to compare prices carefully before buying. Memory and SSD deals still exist, but the older price expectations from 2024 and early 2025 no longer match the current market.