Nothing CEO warns phone prices will keep rising
Nothing CEO Carl Pei warns that phone prices will continue to increase due to a RAM shortage, and that this year's sale season won't offer the usual discounts.
Nothing co-founder and CEO Carl Pei has posted on X that phone prices are going up and will keep rising into next year, driven by a RAM shortage that has already affected the company's lower-cost mid-range models. Pei explained that memory costs doubled between the decision to build the Phone (4a) and its launch, and have doubled again since. Memory now accounts for more than 50% of a new phone's cost—making it the most expensive component, surpassing the processor and display.
Pei cautioned that waiting for deals may not pay off, as this year's sale season will have smaller discounts than people are used to. Since February, new phone models have launched at prices up to $100 higher than their predecessors. In India, phones above ₹30,000 have seen price increases of ₹7,000 or more. He advised against delaying purchases: "The best time was yesterday. The next best time is now." He also noted that during a shortage, memory is allocated, not bought, meaning manufacturers get what is available at current prices.
Nothing is not alone in forecasting higher prices—Samsung and Google are also expected to raise their phone prices due to rising memory costs.
