AI infrastructure has caused manufacturers to rush for storage, which has driven up industry prices. Of course, the most injured non-downstream consumer manufacturers are none other than the non-downstream consumer manufacturers. According to domestic media reports, China’s mobile phone industry will officially usher in a comprehensive price increase in 2026. This is also the first time since the development of the domestic mobile phone market that all categories and all brands will see simultaneous price increases.
The report mentioned that supply chain people, industry analysts and insiders of many mobile phone brands said that starting from March, mobile phone price increases will enter an accelerated stage, with new product increases reaching as low as 1,000 yuan or more.
also,Mainstream brands such as OPPO, OnePlus, vivo, iQOO, Xiaomi, and Honor may gradually increase the prices of older models. Coupled with frequent fluctuations in memory costs, the Chinese mobile phone market may face multiple price increases within a year for the first time in history in 2026.
Relevant people said that this round of price increases is not a choice of individual brands, but an inevitable trend for the entire industry. "Currently, all domestic mainstream mobile phone brands have finalized their price increase plans, and some brands have issued price adjustment notices to offline dealers and online channel providers.
"Judging from the currently determined plan, March is a key node for price increases. Price adjustments for previously launched models are relatively mild, but new products released after March will see a significantly larger price increase. The minimum increase will not be less than 1,000 yuan, and the increase for mid-to-high-end flagship models may reach 2,000-3,000 yuan." said the person above.
The latest report released by the research organization Counterpoint Research pointed out that the average price of global smartphones will increase by 6.9% year-on-year in 2026, and the increase in the Chinese market will be significantly higher than the global average. The core reason is the continued surge in upstream supply chain costs, especially the impact of the skyrocketing price of memory chips. It is expected that the average price of new mobile phones in the Chinese market will increase by 15%-25% after March compared with models of the same range in 2025.
According to IDC data, the growth rate of flagship phones in China's mobile phone market will exceed 30% in 2026. Models with the same configuration will be 300-1,000 yuan more expensive than in 2025, and large storage versions are even 2,000 yuan more expensive. For new products released after March, the growth rate will be further expanded on this basis.