KARACHI – Consumer memory and storage prices rose sharply during the second quarter of 2026 as ongoing supply constraints continued to affect key components used in smartphones, personal computers and other electronic devices.
According to data released by market research firm Sigmaintell, prices of several dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and storage products recorded substantial quarter-on-quarter increases, extending a trend that began in the second half of 2025.
The average price of a 16Gb DRAM component rose from $19.20 in the first quarter to $28.50 in the second quarter, an increase of nearly 49 per cent. Meanwhile, the price of a 16GB DDR4 module climbed 51pc to $207.10 from $137.
Low-power memory products used in smartphones saw even steeper increases. A 32Gb LPDDR component rose 75pc to $45.90, while a 96Gb LPDDR5X component surged 89pc to $145.90, marking the largest increase among the DRAM products tracked in the report.
Storage products also recorded significant price increases. The cost of a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD rose 54pc to $126.30, while 256GB UFS 3.1 storage more than doubled in price, increasing 103pc to $62.70. The price of a 16GB eMMC 5.1 component rose 69pc to $22.60.
The sharpest overall increase was reported for uMCP memory and storage packages, widely used in smartphones and tablets, whose price rose 107pc from $72.50 to $150.40.
Industry analysts attribute the shortages to a shift in manufacturing priorities by memory producers, many of whom have redirected production capacity towards higher-margin products such as high-bandwidth memory (HBM), server DRAM and enterprise-grade solid-state drives used in artificial intelligence data centres and cloud infrastructure.
The reallocation of production capacity has reduced supplies of consumer-focused memory products, including DDR, LPDDR and NAND flash components, contributing to sustained price increases across the electronics sector.
Manufacturers have already passed some of the higher costs on to consumers through increased prices for laptops, smartphones and gaming devices. Analysts warn that the supply-demand imbalance could persist for several years, with some forecasts suggesting shortages may continue until 2028.
As a result, memory and storage prices are expected to remain elevated, adding further pressure to the cost of consumer electronics worldwide.
