With RAM costs hovering, it is time next-gen telephone specs bought artistic

The RAM disaster impacts smartphones, PC parts, handheld recreation consoles, and extra, is de facto beginning to chew. Between product delays, cancellations, and the expectation of value hikes, 2026 isn’t shaping as much as be a superb yr for getting new devices. Whereas the outlook isn’t nice, the tech business stays adaptive, if nothing else. Each disaster can also be a chance, and I’m not the one one who thinks that.

I’ve some sympathy for Carl Pei’s place that the RAM scarcity presents a chance for manufacturers which might be much less depending on spec sheets — and the looming value will increase — to market their wares. I don’t suppose that Nothing is strictly primed to learn any greater than anybody else (reasonably priced telephones are in all probability extra weak to BOM value hikes), however that’s by the by. The RAM scarcity would possibly current some alternatives for manufacturers to interrupt the mould, however will they take it?

The large resolution that manufacturers should make is how finest to answer this shared downside. Merely charging extra or settling for much less RAM (and maybe space for storing) to carry costs regular are the plain choices, however they could even be the weakest: shoppers will ask why they’re paying extra for a similar {hardware} or why the spec sheet is weaker this yr. Ready to see what your rivals do additionally appears like a no-win scenario.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume manufacturers unanimously come to the conclusion that everybody’s costs are more likely to go up in 2026. The query then turns into: might — or ought to — you make investments that headroom in one thing apart from reminiscence?

There are undoubtedly some attention-grabbing selections that could possibly be made. Maybe a baseline $799 flagship can accept 8GB of RAM (which was completely nice a few years in the past) as a substitute of 12GB, and spend the distinction on bettering its digital camera setup. Everybody loves better-looking footage, and a greater digital camera, or an additional one, is an efficient approach to get a leg up on the competitors. Alternatively, investing in a bigger silicon-carbon battery would stand out excess of a bit of additional RAM.

Possibly mid-range telephones can lastly spring for these dear IP scores, or make investments a bit extra money in design and construct supplies. Alternatively, manufacturers might double down on distinctive software program instruments, concepts like {hardware} keys, MagSafe-style wi-fi charging, or different smaller options that usually make the distinction between mid- and flagship-tier handsets.

These options could make a tangible distinction to the on a regular basis consumer expertise, and shoppers would possibly really feel that they’re getting extra bang for a slight value improve versus a couple of extra gigabytes of RAM (and even the identical quantity as final yr). In any case, these choices might enable telephones to distinguish themselves from people who take the extra apparent route of merely passing on the ballooning price of RAM.

That’s nice on a telephone with 12GB or 16GB to go round, however underneath tighter constraints like 8GB, it’s a must to take into account whether or not AI options or app responsiveness ought to take priority. Given the blended reception to AI instruments, I don’t suppose many shoppers can be all that bothered if some offline options take a bit of longer besides up. Nonetheless, in case you’re planning to launch the most effective AI-equipped telephone, having giant quantities of RAM is fairly non-negotiable today.

There’s additionally a tangent right here that doesn’t get talked about a lot anymore: higher reminiscence administration. Smarter app eviction, extra aggressive background limits, and maybe even resorting to that dreaded swap area might all assist stretch smaller RAM budgets additional. That gained’t magically resolve the issue — AI fashions, particularly, are nonetheless voracious — however it could possibly be sufficient to easy over the expertise on telephones that may’t afford to throw 12GB or 16GB of RAM on the downside.

Even so, this successfully splits the market into two segments: the large manufacturers that may take up RAM prices or move them on to shoppers with a purpose to maximize AI capabilities, and the smaller gamers that may’t.

Whereas that is already true to some extent — Google and Samsung have two of the bigger AI ecosystems, regardless that Nano runs with fairly modest necessities — the hole might widen if there’s a divergence between telephones that may and might’t meet future {hardware} calls for. Likewise, the expertise could really feel very completely different between telephones with spare RAM to dedicate to AI and people with out.

Maybe this can be a good factor. AI isn’t universally liked within the cell area (or anyplace, for that matter), and nudging some firms to hunt out other ways to distinguish their merchandise could possibly be wholesome. Possibly manufacturers that focus extra on battery life, pictures, or distinctive designs would possibly fare higher than AI-obsessed rivals — however I doubt many company methods would wish to wager on that.

All that being mentioned, smartphone designs take years, not months. Altering plans on the final minute to accommodate the explosive costs of RAM up to now few months is unlikely. There’s in all probability little or no the Samsung Galaxy S26 collection can do about it, for instance, apart from to stump up the added price or transfer to a barely completely different RAM configuration. Altering a broader vary of options is off the desk.

Nevertheless, telephones launching within the second half of 2026 have had a bit extra time to weigh extra choices. There are optimistic expectations that the disaster will ease considerably by early 2027, wherein case ready it out could be the most effective wager. That mentioned, the RAM crunch might simply persist past the subsequent yr. If it does, it might pay to begin eager about the best way to construct extra thrilling telephones with out counting on copious quantities of RAM and storage to pad out spec sheets or energy next-gen AI fashions.

Clearly, I don’t suppose costly RAM is an efficient factor, not to mention a golden alternative for some manufacturers. It’s a headache that may make units more durable to purchase and costlier, at the very least quickly. Nonetheless, there could also be a sliver of alternative for manufacturers to shake up the established order over the subsequent yr or two. We’ll simply have to attend and see if we find yourself with some nice buys out of it.