Due to the Global Memory Crisis, Mobile Phone Sales Could Fall by 160 Million Units

Memory crisis threatens to reduce sales this year (photo: dok. Honor)

JAKARTA - The world is currently facing a memory crisis due to the increasing demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI). This crisis has a direct impact on smartphones that rely on memory.

Seeing this situation, global research company IDC estimates that sales figures this year will be reduced by 160 million units compared to last year. This decline in mobile phone shipments will reach 13 percent.

If this estimate is correct, this will be the first year that the mobile phone industry has experienced a decline in sales since the pandemic. In fact, the industry has been difficult to improve with sales figures continuing to increase until last year.

The shortage of RAM components is considered more severe than the logistical challenges during the COVID-19 era. Experts call this situation a seismic shift that will change the mobile industry.

IDC Senior Research Director, Nabila Popal, quoted from Bloomberg, stated that the availability of components will not improve in the near future. Memory prices are expected to start stabilizing at the earliest in mid-2027.

The biggest impact of this crisis will be felt on low-end or entry-level phones. Premium devices will be in a safer position than entry-level phones because they have a wider profit margin.

Seeing this situation, Popal also said that the era of cheap smart phones is likely to be over forever. The category of devices with prices below 100 US dollars (Rp. 1.6 million) even has the potential to disappear from the market.

The price increase is starting to be seen in Samsung's latest product line, the Galaxy S26 series. The price of the high-end device has increased by more than IDR 14 million. Consumers now have to pay more for specifications that are almost identical to the previous model.