Mobile phones and computers are seeing collective price increases: Short supply of AI chips is driving up terminal costs

In September 2026, prices of smartphones and computers have been rising steadily for nearly a year, covering all price ranges from affordable models to high-end flagship devices. From March to August this year, leading manufacturers such as OPPO, OnePlus, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Honor increased prices multiple times, with increases ranging from 300 to 1,500 yuan. The main reason for the price hikes is the large-scale procurement of storage products for AI data centers, which has led to a shift in production capacity towards servers and high-bandwidth memory, resulting in shortages in smartphone and computer supply and increased costs. As a result, industry inventory has remained tight, and some manufacturers, such as Meizu, have suspended their own hardware development or reduced their low-price product lines, compressing profit margins. Consumers face higher barriers to replacing their devices, those with limited budgets are forced to reduce configurations, turn to second-hand products, or wait for promotions, and young people generally feel the increased hidden costs brought about by AI technology.