OPPO Fires the First Shot in Smartphone Price Hikes: Will Other Brands Follow?

• Primary Cause: Sharp surges in memory chip (DRAM/NAND) costs.
• First Mover: OPPO (A series, K series, and OnePlus) starting March 16.
• Expected Increases: Entry-level (+$83-$139), Flagships (+$278-$417).
• Strategic Impact: Manufacturers may downgrade non-core specs (cameras/screens) to offset BOM costs.

The smartphone industry is about to get expensive.

With memory chip costs surging across the supply chain, we’re looking at a rare and widespread wave of smartphone price increases sweeping through 2026.

On March 10, OPPO (Oupo 欧珀) became one of the first leading manufacturers to officially announce price hikes—and this move is likely just the beginning.

OPPO Makes the Bold Move

In an official statement, OPPO noted:

“In the face of rising costs for several key smartphone components, including high-speed storage hardware, the company has made the following decision after careful evaluation: Starting from 0:00 on March 16, 2026, OPPO will adjust prices for certain products already on the market to continue guaranteeing excellent product quality and user experience.”

The brands affected include:

• OPPO A series
• OPPO K series
• OnePlus (Yijia 一加)

Notably, OPPO Find series, Reno series, and OPPO Pad series have not yet announced price increases.

OPPO hasn’t disclosed the specific magnitude of the adjustments yet, though internal sources indicate that detailed plans will be released on March 16th.

OnePlus Price Hikes: Here’s What We Know

Media reports suggest that OPPO’s sub-brand OnePlus (Yijia 一加) will announce price increases on March 10, with hikes ranging from:

• ¥300 RMB ($42 USD) to ¥500 RMB ($69 USD) across most models
• ¥500 RMB ($69 USD) for the OnePlus Ace 6 series specifically

The silver lining?

These hikes won’t take effect immediately, giving consumers a buffer period to make purchases before prices jump.

But there’s more on the horizon.

Rumors from distribution channels suggest that the OPPO Reno 15 series and Find X9 series will see price increases of approximately ¥300 RMB ($42 USD) in April.

A manager at an OPPO retail store told The Paper (Pengpai Xinwen 澎湃新闻) that while they haven’t received formal notification yet, they’ve been hearing consistent news about rising memory costs forcing smartphone prices upward.

The Industry-Wide Pricing Reset

OPPO isn’t alone in this.

Multiple media outlets have reported that leading smartphone brands—including vivo (Weiwuo 维沃), Xiaomi (Xiaomi 小米), iQOO (Aiku 艾酷), and Honor (Rongyao 荣耀)—have drafted plans to initiate price adjustments in March.

Here’s the breakdown of expected increases:

• Entry-level & mid-range models: ¥600 RMB ($83 USD) to ¥1,000 RMB ($139 USD) price increase
• Flagship models: ¥2,000 RMB ($278 USD) to ¥3,000 RMB ($417 USD) price increase
• Existing older models: Also seeing price adjustments

And if memory prices stay elevated?

We could see multiple rounds of price adjustments throughout 2026.

What the Brands Are Saying

When asked about the rumors, vivo (Weiwuo 维沃) told The Paper (Pengpai Xinwen 澎湃新闻):

“Affected by the growth in AI-related demand, global memory chip prices have fluctuated significantly recently, and cost pressures are being transmitted to the consumer electronics industry chain. vivo stated it is actively assessing the impact of supply chain fluctuations and advised checking official channels for updates on pricing policies.”

From vivo’s phrasing, it’s clear they’re signaling an imminent announcement of their own price adjustments.

Honor (Rongyao 荣耀) representatives, on the other hand, stated they have not yet received news regarding price hikes.

Whether that changes remains to be seen.

The Ground Reality: Prices Are Already Rising

One smartphone distributor painted a stark picture of the current market:

“You can no longer find a phone under ¥1,000 RMB ($139 USD) on the market; they have all gone up by several hundred yuan. Memory prices have risen so much that offline smartphone prices have already begun to climb.”

Translation: price increases are already happening in real-time, even before official announcements.

Bai Gang (Bai Gang 柏钢), Vice President of ZTE (Zhongxing Tongxin 中兴通讯), confirmed this reality:

“All manufacturers are currently responding to rising storage costs. He mentioned that while this forces consumers to pay more, ZTE aims to bring more value through new scenarios and tapping into new demands… We are considering complete solutions with partners and channels to minimize the impact on consumers, but this major trend is unavoidable. Other methods cannot fully offset the cost pressure of rising storage prices.”

In other words: this is happening, and there’s no way around it.

Why This Matters: The Structural Cost Problem

Research firm Counterpoint (Kaoteituo 考特波特) released a report that breaks down exactly why smartphone price hikes are inevitable.

The core issue?

Rising memory prices are fundamentally changing the Bill of Materials (BOM) cost structure of smartphones.

And entry-level products are getting hit the hardest.

Entry-Level Phones: The Biggest Hit

In Q1 2026, a sharp rise in memory chip prices will lead to a quarter-on-quarter increase of over 20% in total BOM costs.

For a low-end phone priced at $200 USD (¥1,440 RMB) with a typical 6GB LPDDR4X + 128GB eMMC configuration:

• Total BOM cost increases by 25%
• Storage components will account for 43% of total BOM

That’s nearly half the phone’s cost going to memory alone.

Mid-Range Phones: The Squeeze

For mid-range phones priced between $400 USD (¥2,880 RMB) and $600 USD (¥4,320 RMB):

• Q1 2026: DRAM = 14% of cost, NAND = 11% of cost
• Q2 2026 (projected): DRAM = 20% of cost, NAND = 16% of cost

That’s a significant jump in just one quarter.

Flagship Models: The $100-$150 Question

For flagship models priced over $800 USD (¥5,761 RMB):

• BOM costs expected to increase by $100 USD (¥720 RMB) to $150 USD (¥1,080 RMB) by Q2 2026
• DRAM and NAND will represent 23% and 18% of total cost respectively

That’s a meaningful chunk of the phone’s production cost tied up in memory.

The Analyst Take

Shenghao Bai (Bai Shenghao 白圣浩), a Senior Analyst at Counterpoint, emphasized:

“The rise in storage prices is having a structural impact on smartphone BOM costs. In 2026, smartphone manufacturers will face difficulties in balancing costs, gross margins, and shipment targets. Brands relying on entry-level models to expand market share may face risks of short-term losses.”

Translation: This isn’t just a price bump—it’s reshaping the entire industry strategy.

How Manufacturers Are Fighting Back

To mitigate these pressures, manufacturers are adjusting their playbooks:

• Streamlining product lines to reduce SKU complexity
• Reducing shipment targets for low-end models to maintain margins
• Downgrading non-core hardware specifications to offset costs (think: camera sensors, display quality, etc.)

And here’s what the consumer-facing pricing looks like:

• Low-end models: Retail prices expected to rise by about $30 USD (¥216 RMB)
• High-end flagships: May pass on cost pressures of $150 USD (¥1,080 RMB) to $200 USD (¥1,440 RMB) to the consumer

In other words: flagship phones are taking the biggest hit, while budget phones are seeing more modest increases—but that’s only because manufacturers are willing to absorb some losses to keep entry-level options competitive.

What This Means for You

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, here’s what’s worth knowing:

• Prices are going up across the board starting in March 2026 and beyond
• Multiple price increases are likely if memory chip costs stay elevated
• Budget phones will feel the squeeze proportionally more than flagships
• This is industry-wide—not just OPPO, but vivo, Xiaomi, iQOO, and others
• Non-memory specs might get downgraded as manufacturers optimize for BOM costs

The bottom line: smartphone pricing is entering a new era driven by structural supply chain costs.

OPPO just fired the first shot—but everyone’s got their finger on the trigger for smartphone price hikes in 2026.

References

• OPPO fired the “first shot” of mobile phone price increases this year. Will other brands follow? – The Paper
• Official Website – OPPO
• Rising Memory Costs to Impact Smartphone BOM – Counterpoint Research