Regardless of a yr marked by tariff disruptions, financial turmoil and family affordability constraints, the cell phone trade closed out 2025 with 1.9% year-over-year progress, in line with the Worldwide Information Company. Premium phones (priced at roughly $800 and up) offered nicely, and Apple and Samsung had the very best year-over-year progress amongst telephones shipped, in line with IDC’s recent report. Mixed, they accounted for 39% of telephones offered globally all yr, up from 37% in 2024.
However will that keep on in 2026? The trade faces challenges forward, all from a shift in how individuals purchase (or do not buy) telephones this yr. The primary problem is the intensifying RAM scarcity, which has already affected the house PC market and can possible make telephones even pricier this year.Â
“Whereas 2025 was a optimistic yr for smartphones, the trade is now dealing with a distinctly totally different outlook,” Ryan Reith, IDC group vice chairman for worldwide consumer gadgets, stated within the report. “The reminiscence scarcity, which is broadly thought-about an unprecedented provide chain disruption, will trigger the market to say no in 2026, and the period of the scarcity will finally decide the extent of the market contraction.”
Tech giants will fare finest, as they’re going to be capable of safe higher provide charges and value factors, Reith wrote, however the common cellphone value for the on a regular basis shopper is more likely to rise on account of greater prices.Â
In 2025 we noticed excellent telephones from the likes of Apple, Google, Motorola and Samsung.Â
When and the place these value hikes happen are unsure, however phone-makers could attempt to mitigate their affect on shoppers, a lot as firms did with tariffs final yr.Â
Avi Greengart, president and lead analyst at Techsponential, predicts that value will increase might once more be masked or delayed to keep away from a slowdown in shopper buying. Corporations might also alter by adapting cellphone specs.Â
“You may see base cellphone fashions with out fairly as a lot storage as you might need gotten up to now, with greater costs being handed alongside on the bigger storage choices,” Greengart informed CNET. “We might even see firms selecting parts with cost-cutting in thoughts, akin to sticking with final yr’s glorious show expertise to save lots of just a few {dollars} as an alternative of this yr’s even-better panels.”
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On the super-premium degree, particularly with gadgets like foldables that may attain round $2,000 in value, phone-makers will possible have a neater time elevating costs or accepting decrease margins, Greengart stated. However cheaper telephones with even slimmer margins will not be spared, as he expects entry-level and mid-tier handset costs to rise as nicely.Â
It is nonetheless early within the yr, and only a few telephones have been introduced, none of which have considerably hiked costs. With CES 2026 within the rearview, eyes are on the upcoming Cellular World Congress 2026 in late February to offer us a way of how our telephones would possibly get costlier — and by how a lot.
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