Electronics prices to rise? Laptops, smartphones & more likely to get expensive — here’s what to expect

Planning to upgrade your television or finally pick up that smartphone you’ve been eyeing? You might want to act fast as prices of electronic gadgets such as smartphones, televisions and laptops are likely to rise in the coming weeks. Industry executives and market experts have warned of an increase of 4–8% over the next two months, on top of sharp price hikes of up to 21% recorded during November and December. At the center of the issue is the rapid escalation in memory chip prices. Smartphone manufacturers are grappling with rising costs as demand for memory surges, fuelled by the accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Executives cited by ET have warned that these increases may not be temporary, and could repeat regularly, potentially every quarter or even every month during the year. According to Counterpoint Research, the global memory market has entered what it describes as a “hyper-bull” phase. After a roughly 50% price jump in the previous quarter, prices are expected to rise by another 40–50% in the current quarter, followed by an additional 20% increase between April and June. “Some of the smartphone brands like Vivo and Nothing have raised prices by Rs 3,000-5,000 in January, while others like Samsung are making indirect efforts like cutting down on cash backs and discounts,” Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research tolf the financial daily. He added that memory prices might continue to rise further in 2026 and even next year. “While brands will account for this in new launches, there could be shrinkflation too whereby they may cut corners on some components like display,” he said. Manufacturers also point to supply constraints. Several phone and television makers say memory chip availability has become a major bottleneck. Super Plastronics, which sells televisions under the Kodak, Thomson and Blaupunkt brands, said it is currently able to procure only about 10% of its required memory chip orders. “We increased prices by 7% in November, now increasing by 10% this month, and another 4% is planned in February,” said Avneet Singh Marwah, chief executive at Super Plastronics. “In fact, discounts will be one of the lowest in the upcoming Republic Day sales.” Retailers have highlighted that the impact is already visible on shop floors. Laptop prices have risen by 5–8%, while large television brands have communicated that further hikes are imminent. “This price increase will impact immediate demand,” said Pulkit Baid, director at Great Eastern Retail. The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) said smartphone prices climbed between 3% and 21% during November and December. The association, which represents more than 150,000 mobile phone stores nationwide, said current signals from brands suggest cumulative price increases could touch 30% in the months ahead. “This price shock is expected to lead to a significant contraction in the market, with 2026 shipment volumes projected to drop by 10-12%,” said Kailash Lakhyani, chairman of AIMRA. “The most significant impact will be felt in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment, which represents the highest sales volume in India. Consumers are already in a wait-and-watch mode.” Counterpoint Research has also flagged the risk of a sharper downturn in India’s smartphone market in 2026 than its earlier estimate of a 2% decline, citing higher memory costs and rising handset prices. A weaker rupee against the US dollar has further compounded pressures on companies. The scale of the memory price surge is evident in server-grade components as well. Counterpoint data shows that prices of 4GB RDIMM memory rose from $255 in the September quarter of 2025 to $450 in the December quarter, and could climb to $700 by March 2026.