Primary Taiwanese news agency Central News Agency (CNA) recently reported that, amid soaring global memory prices and a declining mobile phone market in China this year due to price hikes by several manufacturers, Apple China just bucked the trend by lowering prices on its iPhone 17 series, reducing all models by RMB 1,000 (approximately US$147). Huawei quickly followed suit, lowering prices on its high-end phones. This move puts even greater pressure on other brands.
According to International Data Corporation (IDC), smartphone shipments in China reached 69.01 million units in the first quarter of this year, a year-over-year decrease of 3.3 percent. Huawei and Apple have not raised prices this year, while other Chinese brands have successively raised prices to reflect the higher cost of memory chips.
Memory chip prices have surged dramatically this year. According to Counterpoint Research, prices jumped 50 percent to 55 percent in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter. The increase is expected to rise further by 80 percent to 85 percent in the second quarter.
Source: CNA, May 16, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202605160158.aspx