GoKawiilRobert Triggs / Android Authority
The impact of AI was much further-reaching than first imagined — and in the opposite direction. AI data centers are devouring memory chips, leading to a shortage across the industry, including consumer devices. We have seen products run out of stock (in the case of the Mac Mini) and even serious price hikes on top of already expensive OEM storage options. Having ample onboard storage is actually becoming a luxury feature that not everyone can easily afford.
This is a problem that we had solved long ago but are pretending to ignore the solution that sits right in front of our eyes. A teeny-tiny piece of tech from the forgotten era of the mid-2010s can easily fix all our woes — yes, I’m talking about microSD cards.
Would you rather have expandable storage or pay for a higher storage tier? 742 votes Give me my microSD card slot back 80 % I'd rather pay for more onboard storage 2 % I want both options 17 % I don't care 1 %
The storage tax is worsening
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
We recently saw perhaps the most sweeping price hike from Apple in recent years — basically every device that runs on an Apple chip saw a substantial increase. Tim Cook directly attributed this price increase to memory shortages. So, it isn’t just an Apple problem but is gradually becoming an industry-wide issue. And we’ve started seeing the signs of it; Google is now rumored to increase the prices of its Pixel 11 range due next month, and I have little reason to doubt that speculation.
And it’s not like we weren’t paying exorbitant prices for storage upgrades already. Big Tech had normalized paying $100 (or more!) just for a modest 128GB or 256GB storage bump, while storage expansion used to cost a fraction of that. We didn’t complain much because native onboard storage has some serious speed and reliability benefits over microSD cards, including some spillover benefits like better IP ratings and simpler motherboard designs. Back then, there were actual, tangible benefits to ditching the card slot, but the equation is now changing due to these stinging price hikes.
Back then, there were actual, tangible benefits to ditching the card slot, but the equation is now changing due to these stinging price hikes.
Take the iPhone 17 Pro Max, for example. If you go for its 512GB variant, you’d find yourself shelling out an eye-watering $1,400, which is $200 more than the base 256GB model. Even the Galaxy S26 Ultra sees a similar price jump for its 512GB storage option, which launched at an insane $1,500. These upgrade tiers are designed to mint the companies more cash rather than giving users easy upgrade options. They are nothing but a complete rip-off because, for that $200 difference, you could easily snag not one but two good-quality 512GB microSD cards — and that’s after microSD cards themselves have seen a solid price spike.
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