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Another major Android phone maker caves to soaring RAM costs with price hikes

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Why This Matters

Xiaomi's decision to raise prices on several smartphones and tablets highlights the ongoing impact of soaring RAM and component costs on the tech industry. This trend may lead to higher prices for consumers and could influence other manufacturers to follow suit, potentially affecting the affordability and availability of future Android devices.

Key Takeaways

Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

TL;DR Xiaomi is raising prices on several smartphones and tablets by up to ¥20,000 (~$137), citing soaring memory and component costs.

The Xiaomi 17T Pro and several POCO X8 Pro models will get the biggest increases, with some models becoming around 25% more expensive.

Xiaomi’s latest move is another sign that the memory shortage is forcing smartphone makers to pass higher component costs on to consumers.

The RAM crisis is starting to hit smartphone prices hard, and Xiaomi is the latest major Android phone maker to cave to rising component costs.

The company has announced price increases for several smartphones and tablets, with some devices getting a hefty ¥20,000 (~$137) increase. Xiaomi says soaring memory prices and other rising product costs have become too difficult for the company to absorb.

The announcement came on Xiaomi Japan’s X account, though we do expect the company to follow similar price hikes in other markets as well.

The increases will affect the Xiaomi 17T Pro and several POCO X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max configurations. Xiaomi’s 17T Pro with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage will rise from ¥119,800 (~$754) to ¥139,800 (~$879), while the 12GB/512GB version will jump from ¥139,800 (~$879) to ¥159,800 (~$1,005).

The POCO models are facing similarly steep increases. The POCO X8 Pro Max 12GB/256GB will go from ¥79,980 (~$545) to ¥99,980 (~$681), while the 12GB/512GB model will increase from ¥89,980 (~$613) to ¥109,980 (~$749).

Several other POCO X8 Pro configurations will also rise by ¥20,000 (~$125). Xiaomi’s tablets are seeing smaller increases, ranging from ¥2,000 (~$12) to ¥10,000 (~$62).

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