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If you're in the market for a new smartphone, you might be better off buying one from 2025 right now. Recent phones, especially mid-rangers, have delivered underwhelming upgrades, while also seeing price hikes.

As businesses scoop more and more memory for their AI data centers and hardware, fewer memory chips are available for consumer products. This is creating a shortage and subsequent price increases. The phones launched in 2026 are facing tougher competition from their predecessors than from their rivals.

According to a December report from IDC, the shortage of DRAM and NAND chips used in PCs, smartphones, and other consumer electronics is putting pressure on the overall market. IDC expects the smartphone market to continue facing pressure this year.