Thanks, AI companies: Sub-$400 phones could see a huge decline due to RAM crisis

TL;DR Research firm Omdia has forecasted a bleak future for the sub-$400 smartphone segment, largely due to the RAM crisis. However, shipments of phones priced over $400 are expected to grow by 5.7% in 2026. The rising memory costs can be largely attributed to AI companies shoring up High-Bandwidth Memory for their data centers.