RAM price hikes: the latest on the global memory shortage – The Verge

Google tells Android app developers to cool it on memory use, or else

2026-08-27T14:33:11-04:00

The memory crisis just won’t quit. | Image: Alex Castro / The Verge

Google will start policing memory-hungry Android apps as a direct response to the RAM crisis. Spotted by TechCrunch, the company yesterday published a memo addressing the Play Store's role in enforcing new memory-usage restrictions. The post emphasizes the importance of meeting new memory usage limits for apps, in order "to help developers navigate industry-wide hardware constraints and Android's broader memory limits," it says. And failing to meet the new memory restrictions will come with consequences.

The memory limitations were first introduced with Android 17, appearing first on Pixel phones. It's probably no coincidence that the base …

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Amazon just hiked the prices for Echo, Fire TV, and Kindle products by up to 60 percent

2026-08-24T12:16:42-04:00

The Echo Dot Max went from $99.99 to $119.99 overnight, while its sibling the Echo Dot jumped to $79.99 from $49.99. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Citing "significant increases in memory and storage component costs," Amazon has raised prices on Echos, Kindles, Fire TVs, and Eeros by up to 60 percent, as first reported by Fortune.

The cheapest products in Amazon's lineup were hit hardest, with the Echo Dot smart speaker jumping from $49.99 to $79.99. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max also rose by over 40 percent to $84.99, and the base level Kindle now costs $149.99, a nearly 37 percent increase.

In a statement to The Verge, Kristy Schmidt, senior communications manager of Amazon's Devices & Services division, said, "The consumer electronics industry is facing significant increases in memory a …

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Xbox prices are increasing by up to €200 or £170

2026-08-02T12:18:38-04:00

When Microsoft announced its latest round of Xbox price bumps in June, it only gave US pricing. Now we know the pricing increases for the EU and UK, and they're dramatic. Depending on the model, Xbox prices are increasing by up to €200 or £170. The 1TB Xbox Series X with a disc drive is going up by over 30 percent from £499.99 / €599.99 to £669.99 / €799.99. The 512GB Xbox Series S is getting a price increase of over 43 percent, jumping from £299.99 / €349.99 to £429.99 / €499.99.

While other consoles have received price bumps as RAM and storage prices skyrocket due to demand from the AI industry, none have been quite as dramatic as Microso …

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Best Buy is selling an RTX 5080 for more than the RTX 5090’s MSRP

2026-07-30T11:48:10-04:00

Best Buy has raised the price of the Asus ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC to $2,099 - the first time a major US retailer is directly selling an RTX 5080 for more than the $1,999 MSRP of the RTX 5090, VideoCardz reports. The ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC now costs 40 percent more than its launch price of $1,499, and over double the $999 MSRP of the RTX 5080 Founders Edition.

As VideoCardz notes, this is currently the only RTX 5080 directly sold by Best Buy that's priced over the RTX 5090's MSRP. There are still other RTX 5080 GPUs available for significantly less, including at other retailers - Asus is selling the ROG Astral RTX 5080 OC for $1,899, which i …

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Qualcomm is raising phone chip prices starting September 1st

2026-07-29T17:41:56-04:00

RAMageddon won't be the only reason your next phone costs more - Qualcomm is about to raise prices on all its processors, as well. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said on Wednesday that "prices are going to go up" on the company's products starting on September 1st, CNBC reports. The price hikes were rumored last week to be "a percentage in the double digits."

Qualcomm announced the planned price increases while reporting a 20 percent year-over-year drop in revenue from its handset business, the lowest it's reported since 2021. In its quarterly earnings presentation, Qualcomm said this drop is due to "unprecedented increases in memory pricing …

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4GB graphics cards are back

2026-07-28T14:49:17-04:00

The first modern GPU with 4GB of VRAM has appeared, as RAM prices and component shortages push tech prices higher. As Digital Foundry reports, a listing for an AMD Radeon RX 9050 with 4GB of RAM was spotted on ASRock's website by a user on X, the same day ASRock also launched an 8GB version of the RX 9050.

Does it make sense to buy a graphics card with just 4GB of VRAM? According to the specs on ASRock's website, the 4GB version of the RX 9050 is built on AMD's RDNA 4 architecture and has a 64-bit memory interface, 16 compute units, and a boost clock speed of up to 2,600MHz / 18GBps. That should be enough to enable new features like FSR 4, …

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This is my new favorite laptop, but thanks to RAMageddon the price already went up by $800

2026-07-27T18:36:47-04:00

Framework’s Laptop 13 Pro looks great in black but costs lots of green. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

Framework laptops always come with compromises in exchange for their unique DIY premise. Even though you pay extra for one compared to sleeker options from competitors, it's easier to excuse minor flaws for modular ports, easy repairs, and an impressive range of upgradeable parts. So what happens when Framework goes "Pro"? We get a one-of-a-kind jewel among notebooks.

The 13 Pro corrects and improves many shortcomings of the regular Laptop 13. It has a bright and sharp touchscreen, the best haptic trackpad not made by Apple, and an impeccable build and feel. Take all that and marry it to a great Intel chip and cutting-edge user-replaceable …

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Chinese RAM company CXMT makes a $484 billion stock market debut

2026-07-27T10:27:57-04:00

The China-based memory firm ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) had a massive first day on the Shanghai stock exchange after its shares surged 466 percent, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. The stock market frenzy boosted CXMT's valuation to $484 billion, making it the most valuable Chinese company listed on the exchange.

CXMT looks to challenge Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix, which currently control the majority of the global memory market. But with demand from data-hungry AI giants straining the memory industry, device makers are searching for alternatives to keep costs low.

A recent report from the Financial Times …

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Google basically confirms the Pixel 11 is getting a price hike

2026-07-27T05:27:44-04:00

Google's vice president of devices and services, Shakil Barkat, all but confirmed in an interview with 9to5 Google that its next Pixel phone would cost more than the Pixel 10. Considering the ongoing RAM supply issues due to the explosion of AI data centers, the rumored price hike is not a complete surprise. Companies from Apple to Nintendo and Microsoft to Roku have all raised their prices in response to the soaring cost of memory.

Barkat said that Google had "shielded our consumers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible," but that the "economics have fundamentally shifted and we're not immune to that." He went on to tell 9to5 th …

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Qualcomm is about to raise prices and that’s bad news for everyone

2026-07-24T15:23:53-04:00

Qualcomm sent a letter to customers on Friday warning of plans to increase its prices by "a percentage in the double digits," Bloomberg reports. The price hikes will go into effect starting with products shipped after September 1st.

Qualcomm claims it has "exhausted its ability to absorb higher costs from suppliers," as ongoing component shortages continue to drive up prices. The company also said it attempted to source components from alternate suppliers prior to announcing the price hikes.

As Bloomberg notes, Qualcomm's price increases will likely have a ripple effect, particularly for smartphones. Qualcomm's chips power everything fro …

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