End of the Era of Cheap Smartphones: RAM Shortage and AI Revolution Trigger Market Tsunami

The mobile industry is entering a period of turbulence that IDC experts describe as a crisis unprecedented in history. The main factor destabilizing the market is a global shortage of RAM memory. This problem is so severe that even global disruptions from the pandemic era or trade wars seem trivial in comparison. Analysts predict these shortages could cause the largest annual decline in smartphone shipments in over a decade. The situation is affecting even giants like Apple, which may be forced to pay twice the previous rates for memory modules, inevitably translating into higher final product prices for consumers. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the consumer electronics market has not seen such a sharp increase in production costs coupled with a supply threat, forcing a change in strategy for the largest corporations. Simultaneously, artificial intelligence technology, while driving software development, is becoming a burden on supply chains. Modern AI features require increasingly larger hardware resources, exacerbating demand for scarce components. However, manufacturers are trying to divert attention from rising prices by introducing radical hardware novelties. The brand realme has officially confirmed the launch of a model with a battery capacity of 10,001 mAh, which is set to drastically change multimedia usage comfort. Meanwhile, Samsung plans to refresh its popular Galaxy A57 and A37 series in Poland, placing greater emphasis on energy optimization and display quality. Xiaomi is not far behind, globally launching the flagship Leica Leitzphone, which aims to redefine the concept of mobile photography. „Smartphone market is facing a crisis like no other. The tariffs and pandemic crisis seem a joke compared to this.” — Nabila Popal Amid the hardware pricing crisis, a major technological expansion is underway in other sectors. The Hyundai corporation announced billion-dollar investments in creating future cities based on hydrogen and AI, showing that capital is shifting towards systemic infrastructure. In the Polish market, the situation is becoming tense – popular Samsung models have officially started to become cheaper, which analysts interpret as an attempt to clear warehouses before the arrival of a new, significantly more expensive generation of devices. This heralds the end of the era of budget smartphones, which until now offered decent performance at a low price. The current market dynamics suggest that consumers will have to get used to a new reality where the smartphone becomes a luxury good, requiring much greater financial outlays while battery life cycles are shortened by power-hungry AI processors.