Some smartphone brands are holding prices steady even as the market faces two major pressures at once: war-related supply disruption and a sharp shortage in memory chips. That contrast is now visible in Indonesia, where a few models from Samsung and Tecno have stayed unchanged while other devices have already moved higher.
The pattern matters because smartphone prices do not rise evenly across all brands or segments. In early April 2026, Selular’s monitoring of official brand stores and marketplaces showed that several products remained stable, but others in the entry-level and midrange categories saw clear adjustments.
Some models stay unchanged, even as costs rise
Samsung did not raise the price of the Galaxy A07 5G with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which remains at $173. Tecno also kept some products unchanged in Indonesia, including the Camon 50 series, signaling that not every brand is passing higher component costs directly to buyers.
That decision stands out because the industry is under broad cost pressure. Memory parts such as DRAM and NAND Flash are used in nearly every smartphone, and recent market data suggests both are becoming far more expensive to source.
Memory costs are reshaping smartphone pricing
Counterpoint Research reported a steep rise in mobile memory prices in the first quarter of 2026. DRAM prices climbed by more than 50% quarter on quarter, while NAND Flash surged by more than 90% in the same period.
Those increases matter because memory is a core part of the Bill of Materials, or BOM, which is the total cost of components and manufacturing inputs. For low-cost smartphones, the impact can be severe, since memory takes up a much bigger share of the total hardware cost.
In entry-level phones with wholesale prices below $200, a common setup with 6GB LPDDR4X and 128GB eMMC storage could raise BOM costs by as much as 25% in one quarter. Counterpoint said memory alone may account for as much as 43% of total device production cost in that segment.
Tecno keeps some prices steady, but not all
Tecno Mobile Indonesia PR Manager Anthoni Roderick said the company did raise Suggested Retail Prices, or SRP, in April, but only for certain models. He said the adjustment mainly affected selected entry-level devices.
The Tecno Spark Go 3 in the 4GB/64GB variant now sells for $93, up from $87. Tecno also raised prices on the Pova 7 5G line, where the 8GB/128GB version moved to $199 from $187, while the 8GB/256GB version increased to $205 from $200.
By contrast, the Tecno Camon 50 series did not receive a price change in this period. That means its official pricing stayed in place, even while other Tecno models moved higher.
Online and offline prices do not always match
Tecno also noted that the SRP increase applies to offline sales. In practice, online and marketplace pricing can differ, and Selular’s monitoring found that some Tecno models were sold at higher levels online than at launch.
Here are some examples of those changes:
- Camon 50 8GB/128GB: $234, up from $222.
- Spark 40 6GB/128GB: $136, up from about $111.
- Pova 7 5G 8GB/256GB: $217, up from about $200.
That gap shows how smartphone pricing now depends not only on component costs, but also on channel strategy. Brands may keep one price at official offline stores while allowing marketplace prices to move according to demand, stock availability, and retailer margin.
Price pressure is spreading across brands
Tecno is not alone. Selular reported that several major smartphone vendors in Indonesia, including Xiaomi and Samsung, have also raised prices in early 2026. The changes affected a wide range of devices, from basic models to flagship products.
At Samsung, the Galaxy A07 with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage rose from about $87 at launch to roughly $99. Xiaomi also increased the price of the Redmi A5 with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage from about $87 to $99.
The size of the increase varies by model, but Selular’s monitoring showed a range of about $6 to more than $60, depending on device class and specification. That spread suggests brands are trying to protect margins without fully priced out their most price-sensitive buyers.
Why entry-level phones feel the impact first
Lower-priced phones often have thinner profit margins, so any spike in component costs hits harder. Manufacturers in this segment usually rely on high-volume sales, which leaves less room to absorb expensive memory chips, logistics changes, or currency swings.
A simple cost shift in memory can force brands to choose between three options. They can raise retail prices, reduce promotional discounts, or adjust product specifications to keep the final price competitive.
- Raise the sticker price on selected models.
- Hold price but reduce discounts and bundled offers.
- Change the memory configuration to cut BOM costs.
In the current market, many brands appear to be using a mix of those approaches. That explains why some products remain unchanged while others move higher within the same brand portfolio.
War and supply disruption add another layer
The memory shortage does not stand alone. War-related disruptions have also affected global logistics, energy costs, and industrial supply chains, which can add pressure to component sourcing and final device pricing.
When those risks arrive together, smartphone makers face a difficult balancing act. If they keep prices flat, they absorb the cost hit. If they raise prices too fast, they risk losing buyers in an already competitive market.
That is why the current price behavior looks uneven. Brands are protecting core products, adjusting weaker-margin models, and watching how consumers respond before making broader changes.
What buyers should watch before purchasing
Consumers planning to buy a smartphone now need to check both official and marketplace prices before deciding. Stock levels, sales campaigns, and channel-specific pricing can change the final amount quickly, especially for entry-level and midrange devices.
The main point is simple: the market is not seeing blanket price hikes across every smartphone. Instead, brands are using selective adjustments, and some products from Samsung and Tecno have stayed stable even while the wider industry deals with expensive memory chips, tighter supply, and broader cost pressure.
