Nothing CEO says phone prices are going to keep going up

Nothing CEO Carl Pei says phone buyers should upgrade sooner rather than later, warning that rising memory prices are already affecting the company’s mid-range devices. He said RAM costs doubled before the Nothing Phone 4A launched and have doubled again since, with memory now potentially exceeding half the cost of a new phone.

The comments point to a broader supply-chain squeeze that could push Android phone prices higher through next year, especially in budget and mid-range segments. If memory remains constrained, brands may either raise prices, reduce specs, or lean harder on software and design to preserve margins.

Nothing Phone 4A Pro | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

If you're thinking about upgrading your phone, "the best time was yesterday," according to Nothing CEO and co-founder Carl Pei, echoing a message we heard during MWC. As Android Authority reports, Pei said in a post on X that the RAM shortage has already impacted Nothing's less expensive mid-range phone: "For Phone 4A , memory costs doubled between when we decided to build the device and when it launched. They've doubled again since." He warned that "Phone prices are going up, and they'll keep going up into next year." Pei says RAM can now account for over 50 percent of the cost of a new phone. Nothing's just the latest phone maker to warn … Read the full story at The Verge.