India, Dec. 16 -- TrendForce's latest investigations reveal that memory prices are projected to rise sharply again in the first quarter of 2026, exerting significant cost pressure on global end-device manufacturers. Consequently, smartphone and notebook brands are compelled to increase their product prices and reduce specifications. A further downward revision of shipment forecasts now seems unavoidable, with market resources becoming more concentrated among a few leading brands.

TrendForce notes that memory is increasingly accounting for a larger share of the BOM costs in consumer devices like smartphones and PCs. Even for Apple, which has strong profitability, the memory component in the total BOM for iPhones is expected to significant...