On February 13, 2026, a blogger, after consulting with industry insiders, disclosed that sales of low- and mid-end mobile phones are currently embroiled in a conundrum: the more units sold this year, the greater the losses incurred. Owing to a substantial hike in global memory chip prices, the share of storage costs in low- and mid-end mobile phones has soared from less than 20% in 2024 to a range of 30%-40%. For certain budget models priced around 1,000 yuan, storage costs now account for over 34% of the total device price. In contrast, for high-end models, this proportion has merely climbed from 8% to 14%. In light of these developments, some manufacturers have slashed their annual shipment targets, while others have scrapped plans to roll out new models, exemplified by the Meizu 22 Air. Both IDC and Counterpoint Research have consequently revised their smartphone shipment forecasts for 2026 downwards, anticipating year-on-year declines in global and Chinese market shipments.