AI's Memory Appetite Is Raising Device Prices
Matthew Mbaka · September 22, 2026 · Gadgets
The AI infrastructure boom is no longer an abstract expense on a data-centre balance sheet. It is starting to appear in the price of phones, laptops and game consoles.
Apple raised UK iPhone prices by £100 across new and older models this month. Samsung and Google have also raised some flagship prices, while computer makers have increased prices or reduced memory in lower-cost configurations. The Guardian reported on September 21 that IDC now sees memory costs up more than 300 per cent from a year earlier.
Canada has not followed every UK increase in the same way. Still, Apple Canada's refurbished store currently lists a 128 GB iPhone 15 at C$819. iPhone in Canada calculated that price at roughly 14 per cent above the same model's September 2025 listing.
Apple has not publicly said that the Canadian refurbished increase was caused by memory. It is better treated as a local price change happening during a documented industry shortage, not as a direct company admission.
Why AI servers affect ordinary gadgets
AI servers use specialized high-bandwidth memory, while phones and laptops use other forms of DRAM and flash storage. They are not identical products. They do, however, depend on the same small group of manufacturers, expensive fabrication capacity and overlapping materials and equipment.
When suppliers direct more investment and production toward high-margin data-centre parts, consumer-device makers have less room to bargain for the memory they need. Smaller phone and laptop brands have the least leverage and may have to accept worse prices, delay products or cut specifications.
That is why the pressure appears in several forms. A device may cost more. The entry model may ship with less memory. An older model may disappear rather than receive the usual discount. A company may increase storage on an expensive version while removing the genuinely cheap option.
Mapletechie's recent look at CXMT's new DRAM process explains why an additional large supplier could eventually matter. For now, CXMT's manufacturing claims remain unverified and do not create an immediate supply fix for Canadian buyers.
Budget devices feel the squeeze first
Memory is a larger share of the component cost in an inexpensive device than in a premium one with a much larger profit margin. A C$50 increase is annoying on a high-end laptop. On an entry-level model, it can wipe out the business case.
That creates a quiet affordability problem. Buyers who only need a basic phone or school computer may see the cheapest acceptable configuration disappear, even when the headline price of a flagship gets most of the attention.
It also makes specification checking more important. A laptop that looks unchanged may now come with less RAM, soldered memory that cannot be upgraded, or a smaller solid-state drive. Compare the exact configuration, not just the product name.
Should you buy now?
A shortage is not a reason to panic-buy a device you do not need. It is a reason to stop assuming that last year's normal discount will arrive on schedule.
- If your current phone or computer works, keep using it. A battery replacement or storage cleanup may cost far less than a rushed upgrade.
- Compare memory and storage line by line. A lower price can hide a weaker configuration.
- Check independent refurbished sellers as well as manufacturer stores. Third-party prices may move at a different pace.
- For a Windows laptop, favour replaceable RAM and storage when the price and design make sense.
- Do not pay extra for memory you will never use, but avoid an 8 GB computer if your actual workload already pushes beyond it.
Before buying refurbished, use Mapletechie's guide to checking a phone's battery health. A small saving disappears quickly if the battery needs immediate service.
Higher prices may last longer than the shortage
New memory capacity takes years to plan, build and qualify. Suppliers also have little reason to flood the market and collapse prices after making expensive investments. Even when shortages ease, manufacturers may keep higher price points and add storage or features instead of reversing the increase.
The useful signal for Canadian shoppers will not be one dramatic product launch. Watch entry-level configurations, refurbished prices and whether older models continue receiving normal discounts. That is where the AI boom's consumer cost will be easiest to see.
Sources: The Guardian; Reuters; Apple Canada; iPhone in Canada.
Tags: memory chips, smartphones, laptops, consumer prices, AI infrastructure