Samsung is reportedly preparing another major memory price increase in the third quarter of 2026, with commodity DRAM and LPDDR memory expected to become more than 20% more expensive. The move would mark Samsung’s third consecutive quarterly increase and could add more pressure to smartphone, laptop, and PC prices later this year.
The company is said to be negotiating higher prices with customers after already raising commodity DRAM pricing by around 90% in the first quarter of 2026 and another 50% to 60% in the second quarter.
LPDDR memory, which is widely used in smartphones, tablets, thin laptops, and handheld gaming devices, may also see an increase of more than 20% during the quarter.
Samsung’s Memory Price Increases Are Slowing but Still Severe
The pace of price growth may be moderating compared with earlier in the year, but the overall increase remains substantial.
Samsung reportedly raised commodity DRAM prices sharply at the start of 2026, then followed with another major increase in the second quarter. A further rise in the third quarter would mean memory buyers have faced higher costs for most of the year.
| Period | Reported Samsung memory price movement |
|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | Around 90% increase |
| Q2 2026 | Around 50% to 60% increase |
| Q3 2026 | Up to 20% increase for commodity DRAM |
| Q3 2026 LPDDR pricing | More than 20% increase expected |
The increases affect more than desktop RAM. Commodity DRAM is used across PCs, phones, televisions, networking gear, storage products, and many other consumer devices.
LPDDR5X Costs Could Make Phones and Laptops More Expensive
LPDDR memory is especially important for mobile products because it combines high speed with lower power use. It is found in flagship smartphones, AI laptops, tablets, handheld gaming PCs, and compact mini PCs.
Contract pricing for 12GB LPDDR5X packages has reportedly climbed from around $76 at the beginning of the year to roughly $145 recently. That means the cost has increased by nearly $69 in only a few months.
| LPDDR5X price point | Reported value |
|---|---|
| Early 2026 contract price | Around $76 |
| Late Q1 and Q2 2026 level | Around $120 |
| Recent reported price | Around $145 |
| Increase since start of year | Around $68.8 |
Higher LPDDR pricing could make it harder for phone makers to offer models with 12GB, 16GB, or higher memory configurations at lower prices.
It could also lead to smaller memory capacities in cheaper laptops and smartphones if manufacturers try to protect their profit margins.
AI Demand Is Pulling Memory Supply Away From Consumer Products
The main reason behind the price increases is continued demand from AI infrastructure. Cloud companies and AI firms are buying large quantities of high-capacity memory for servers, training systems, and inference clusters.
Memory makers can earn more from enterprise and AI-focused products, which leaves less supply for consumer DRAM and storage markets.
Samsung is more exposed to the volatile commodity DRAM business than some rivals because it has a larger share of that market. SK hynix, by comparison, has a stronger focus on high-bandwidth memory used in AI accelerators, where longer supply agreements can create more stable pricing.
| Memory market factor | Effect on consumer devices |
|---|---|
| AI server demand | Reduces available supply for consumer hardware |
| Higher LPDDR prices | Raises smartphone and laptop costs |
| Commodity DRAM shortages | Makes desktop and notebook RAM more expensive |
| Long-term supply agreements | Can establish higher pricing floors |
| Limited new factory capacity | Delays meaningful price relief |
New Memory Capacity Will Not Solve the Problem Soon
Samsung and SK hynix are reportedly planning a huge long-term investment of around $800 billion to expand memory manufacturing capacity. However, the plan is expected to unfold across roughly 10 years.
That means it is unlikely to bring quick relief for buyers in 2026 or 2027.
Recent forecasts from UBS also suggest DRAM prices could rise 32% quarter over quarter in the third quarter, while NAND storage prices may rise 30%. Even if individual estimates differ, the broader outlook remains the same: memory costs are still moving upward.
For PC builders, laptop buyers, and smartphone shoppers, the best deals may come from existing inventory rather than future models. As manufacturers renew contracts and build devices with more expensive memory, higher prices could become harder to avoid.
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