GMAsia
    🇨🇳China·AI News·2 Jun 2026·via SCMP

    Huawei to hold the line as memory price surge hits China’s smartphone makers: report

    Chinese smartphone manufacturers are bracing for a challenging year as surging memory chip prices threaten to impact their profitability and market strategies. A recent report from Counterpoint indicates that these companies face difficult decisions: absorb higher costs, increase retail prices for consumers, or downgrade storage configurations in their devices. This comes as global smartphone shipments are projected to decline significantly, adding further pressure to an already competitive market. The rising cost of essential components like memory chips is forcing a re-evaluation of production and pricing strategies across the industry. This situation marks the most significant hurdle for Chinese smartphone makers since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Nexa's Summary

    The impending surge in memory chip prices presents a critical inflection point for Asia's smartphone industry, particularly for Chinese manufacturers. This scenario forces a strategic re-evaluation of supply chain resilience, pricing models, and product differentiation. Companies like Huawei, despite its own challenges, will need to leverage its integrated ecosystem and R&D capabilities to mitigate these cost pressures, potentially by optimizing component sourcing or accelerating in-house chip development where feasible. The broader market dynamic suggests a potential consolidation or a widening gap between brands with robust supply chain management and those more vulnerable to external price fluctuations.

    This development also highlights the persistent geopolitical and economic sensitivities surrounding semiconductor supply. For Asian tech ecosystems, it underscores the strategic imperative of fostering domestic chip production capabilities and diversifying procurement channels to reduce reliance on volatile global markets. The choices made by these manufacturers—whether to absorb costs, raise prices, or alter product specifications—will directly influence consumer affordability and market share, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape of the Asian smartphone market in the coming year.

    Original reporting by SCMPWe don't republish, read the full story →

    Related reading

    6 stories