At the start of this month, a number of mainstream mobile phone brands initiated price adjustments. On September 8, merchants in Huaqiangbei revealed that, at present, mainstream mobile phone brands have witnessed price hikes to varying extents, with flagship models experiencing the most significant increase, up by 1,000-1,500 yuan.

The immediate cause of these price surges is the skyrocketing cost of memory chips. Over the past year, the prices of mobile phone RAM and storage have soared by over 100%, substantially boosting their proportion in the overall BOM (Bill of Materials) cost of mobile phones.

The underlying reason can be traced back to the structural reconfiguration of global memory chip production capacity. The siphon effect, triggered by the explosive demand for AI computing power, has prompted major memory manufacturers to give priority to supplying memory products for servers. Consequently, there has been an inadequate supply of consumer-grade memory. This marks one phase in the wave of consumer electronics price increases propelled by memory chips this year. Since March, brands like OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi have successively adjusted their prices.

Despite the overall pressure on the mobile phone market, the sales of domestically produced foldable smartphones have been impressive. From January to August, sales reached approximately 4.5 million units, with new-form foldable models surpassing 1.35 million units, indicating a year-on-year increase of 29%. Additionally, AI-enabled phones have emerged as a key focus area for manufacturers.