How many years has your phone been working? Are you going to change the plane in the second half of the year? Welcome to the comment section
It is not clear whether there has been a real change, and recent visits to underground shops, major electric power stations and mobile phones have revealed a very intuitive phenomenon: cell phones are equally configured, and prices have generally increased by several hundred dollars compared to the same period last year。
In previous years, it had been recognized that digital products were cheaper, that new and old machines were cheaper, that large memory and large-capacity configurations were increasingly decentralized to the centre, and that the cost of switching between ordinary people was decreasing。
But in 2026, the mobile market completely broke that rule。
Many of the friends who were ready to switch were puzzled that their own budgets had not decreased, but the available mobile phone configuration had shrunk. In particular, in the recent past, the entire network has been pre-heating new air formations for the second half of the year, with multiple flag jet blasts on screens, and many people are dying to save their money to start。
But, as a self-communicator who has long worked in the digital industry and has seen countless consumer pedals, i sincerely suggest that ordinary people, in the second half of this year, must be calm。
The increase in mobile phone prices is not an arbitrary increase in the number of mobile brands and harvest consumers, but a structural surge in prices across the upstream supply chain. If we don't understand the real reasons behind this, blindness and change of scenery will probably cost us money to buy a mobile phone that is overfunctional and not suitable for itself。
Today, i will tell you the truth about the increase in the price of mobile phones, about the real situation in the second half of the year, about who's fit to switch and who needs to watch again, in combination with the latest industry-public data from 2026。
I. The increase in mobile phone prices is not a manufacturer's option, the core reason being that the storage chip production capacity is being squeezed
Many netizens have seen mobile phone prices increase, and the first reaction is brand premiums, and merchants cut pickles. But the fact is not as simple as you think, and this year's increase in mobile phone prices is an industry-wide trend supported by real supply chain data。
As early as the first half of 2026, oppo, vivo, plus one mobile phone brands issued a public price adjustment statement that clearly indicated that price adjustments were being made to the machine in the process of sale, influenced by the continued increase in the cost of semiconductor storage chips. The cumulative maximum increase of over $1,000 in one of these plus parts of the machine type and a general increase of between $300 and $500 in the medium-end mainstream type is a real and publicly available industry-wide picture。
Many mistakenly assumed that the most expensive parts of mobile phones were processors, but since 2026, memory and flashing had replaced them as hardware with the highest cost of mobile phones。
Here's to untangle the core logic of price increases:
In recent years, the country's ai industry has experienced a surge in demand for high-end storage chips from ai servers and artificial intelligence computing devices. Global mainstream chip producers are prioritizing the supply of high-end, high-quality chips to a more profitable ac market。
Storage capacity for electronics for mass consumption, such as mobile phones, tablets and notebooks, has been significantly reduced, production capacity has been reduced and market demand has stabilized, leading directly to continued high prices for the stocks。
According to published data from major authoritative digital research institutions, the price of mobile mobile phone specialized storage chips has been rising steadily as of the second quarter of 2026 since the start of the price increase cycle in late 2025。
During the previous two years, the cost of some of the contract batches for the flash of 1tb had been more than 200, while in 2026 the cost of some of the batches had been close to $600。
The data show that the storage of chips in previous years accounted for only 10 to 15 per cent of the total cost of mobile phone materials, and now rises directly to 35 to 45 per cent. In particular, the 1,000-dollar door-to-door type, with storage costs close to half the cost of the whole machine, has enormous cost pressures。
This has also led to the current polarization of the mobile phone market。
High-end flagship mobile phones are highly priced and have ample profit space, allowing manufacturers to absorb some of the cost increases on their own, and end-sale prices fluctuate relatively little. In the face of rising storage costs, the manufacturers have only two options: either to raise the price directly or to reduce the price of configurations such as screens, memory, process etc。
This is why many users are throwing up, and the experience of the new machine is not the same as that of the old two to three years ago, the core reason being the shrinking of water and the compromise of costs。
Many consumers have always felt that mobile phones would be the most cost-effective when double-11s and zero-sums were reached。
However, in combination with the latest industry forecasts for 2026, there is little possibility of a significant price reduction for consumer-grade storage chips this year. It is generally judged that the price of the chips stored will fall back and that the capacity will be fully released until 2027。
This also means that, in the second half of 2026, there was no substantial reduction in the price of new mobile phones, that only old storage machines would have a conventional promotion, and that new flagships and medium-end new machines would hardly have been offered back-to-back concessions in previous years。
In addition to this, public data from the chinese institute of information and communications can confirm current consumption: the average rotation cycle for domestic users has been increased to 40. 2 months, or more than three years。
Consumers are now becoming more rational than they have been in the habit of changing mobile phones in the last two years. On the one hand, there has been a more cautious consumption, and on the other hand, mobile phone hardware has slowed down in recent years, and the experience of new machines has increased minimally and is not worth changing from year to year。
In the second half of the year, 20 new aircraft piled up
In august 2026, the digital circle entered a new machine preheating peak, with major digital players, media-wheeling new engine parameters, appearance and configuration. In september, there will be a wave of the largest launch of flagship aircraft throughout the year, with nearly 20 new aircraft coming together。
Note: all new models, parameters, functions mentioned below are web-based material, not officially published by the official brand, for information purposes only, and are subject to official follow-up。
The net express 90 series will carry new and iterative chips while updating the fold screen product lines; the apple generation iphone18 full-system, front-load folding of ultra versions will be exposed; and mainstream flagships such as the mi-18 series, vivo x500, oppo find x10, glory magic9 will be launched in a centralized fashion and should have a straight-board flagship, size folding machine。
The new machine campaign, which spreads over the internet, continues to create “old, new” consumption anxiety, and many people are motivated by a climate that blindly wants to start and change。
But as an industry person, i can say responsibly that most ordinary users do not use the core functions of the new flagship。
While black technology, such as ai's intelligence algorithms, professional long-focal photography, maximum performance scoring and satellite communications, which are highlighted by the major brands, appears to be powerful at a high level, for 90 per cent of ordinary people, daily use is limited to micro-mail chats, short-screening, internet shopping, drama and occasional games。
These basic usage requirements, the old flagship, medium-end type two to three years ago, are perfectly compatible。
Professional research shows that more than 80 per cent of ordinary mobile phone users hardly use their own high-end ai functionality, professional photography models, and extreme performance models. We've bought top-up phones for a lot of money, most of their performances and functions, they've been idle for years and they're typical excesses。
Most people switch phones, not because they are inadequate, but because they are held hostage by the internet's marketing anxiety. When someone changes, they feel that their old phones are out of date, that's what they are。
In response to the new tide in the second half of the year, i sum up the principle of switchover that must be observed by ordinary people and help avoid 90 per cent of the pits。
One, no need, no starter
All new digital products have the highest premium, least preference and lowest value for value。
New machines have just come on the market, with the highest brand heat, tight supply, little room for price reductions and no substantial subsidies and gifts. Waiting for two to three months, when the new machine's heat drops and the channels are in sufficient stock, there will be a real drop of hundreds to thousands of dollars。
Ordinary wage-earners do not have to spend hundreds of thousands of more innocent money for fresh feelings, but only digital burners are fit to pursue their first experiences。
2. Not superstitious paper-based parameters, best suited to their needs
Many people buy mobile phones that look only at the surface parameters of running points, pixels and battery capacity, and assume that the higher the parameters, the better。
In fact, the fluidity of mobile phones, the photo effect, and the continuous experience depend on system calibration, hardware suitability, algorithm optimization, rather than mere stacking of parameters。
If you like to take pictures, you focus on video algorithms and tremors; if you like to play games, you focus on chip dispersion and performance control; and if you use a preferred selection system that is simple, durable and signals stable, the smartest choice is to buy the machine on demand。
Three. Old mechanics. Don't change it blindly
This is one of the most easy savings techniques to ignore。
The majority of old mobile phones are used for two to three years, and the body function and the processor are not aging. The only problem is battery depletion and continuous flight variations。
It will only cost a hundred or 200 dollars to replace a whole new battery, so that the mobile phone can be brought back to life with blood, with no problem for another two or three years。
In addition to this, many models support the expansion of official storage, which does not have enough storage space to replace mobile phones, so that hundreds of dollars can upgrade high-capacity storage, at a far greater cost than new machines。
Only in cases where the main panel of the mobile phone is damaged, the screen is frequently broken and maintenance costs exceed half the price of the new machine is it worth being replaced。
Three: accurate pairs! People like this can switch
Taking into account the fact that mobile phone prices increased in 2026 and that new machines are in the market, i have finely divided the population, and you can judge your situation directly。
It suits the three types of people who switch now
First, there are serious problems with old mobile phone hardware, which affects normal use. The frequent death of a mobile phone, restart, damage to the main panel, end-of-life screen, high maintenance costs and poor experience of continuing to use a mobile phone are circumstances that need not be imposed and can be replaced directly。
Second, there are new job-seekers. From the media, video clippings, multi-soft office crowds, high levels of memory, performance, backstage stability of mobile phones, frequent killing of backstages, cardon, have seriously affected the efficiency of work and can be replaced on demand。
Thirdly, there was a time when the prices of old flagships had fallen significantly. Unsatisfied with new money, the previous generation of flagship aircraft, full value for money after long-term price reductions, is a very suitable window period for entry。
I'd like to suggest that the three categories of people who are determined to watch and not change
First, the cell phone is running well, just trying to change. It is a waste of money simply to look at new online materials and to seek freshness, without any faultboards。
Second, the budget is limited and only a thousand machines are considered. Currently, the 1,000-bit slots are hit hardest by storage price increases, with a general shrinking of water configuration, and it is difficult to obtain quality machines at the same price, and it is recommended to wait until stock is updated。
Thirdly, mobile phones are used for only one to two years. Airframe performance, batteries and storage are in the best condition, and there is no need to change them to overconsumption。
It is also important to remind you of the caution with which you fold your screen phones。
The current sale price of folding screens is very high and the cost of later maintenance is extremely high, with one inner screen generally at $23,000, equivalent to the price of one medium cell phone. If it is not just for office, reading, simply for the sake of gloss and freshness, do not go blind。
Iv. Four invisible pits that are the easiest for ordinary people to buy machines
In addition to the obvious problems of new machine premiums and water allocation, there are four hidden traps in the process of purchasing the aircraft, with countless people stepping on the pits every year。
1. Blind minimum storage version
Short video, microclinic, high-resolution photographs now occupy a huge amount of space, with 256 gb base versions, and storage space in two years of normal use. Where the budget allows, priority is given to the 512-gb version to avoid frequent liquidation of memory at a later stage。
Ii. Conclusion to “buy new or old”
This sentence no longer applies at this time. The standard version of the new paragraph tends to have serious problems with configuration castration and premium, while the previous generation of flagship price reductions, with stronger hardware configurations, more mature experience, lower prices and far more expensive than the new type of money machine。
3. Light server replacement with new high-value replacement paste
While old-for-new subsidies appear to be cost-effective for major platforms, a system of low-valuing machines is prevalent in lower-line stores. Self-evaluation must be carried out ahead of schedule, and mobile phones that exceed their own budget should not be purchased for small subsidies。
4. Disaggregated consumption
The 12th and 24th interest-free breaks can cause people to lose sight of the overall price of mobile phones and unwittingly choose a high-cost machine. It is important that the total price is calculated before purchasing the machine, and that it is not consumed ahead of schedule in accordance with its own budgetary choices。
At the end
Looking at the evolution of the digital sector as a whole, we can clearly see that the era of year-to-year upgrading of mobile phones is over。
Today's digital market, where hardware upgrades are saturated, prices continue to rise as a result of supply chains, and the logic of consumer change must change。
The best value for money is to buy a mobile phone, never as new, never as expensive, never as good and fit for life and work。
New media campaigns, parameter assessments and the launch of explosions on the internet are essentially creating consumer anxiety and stimulating the desire to buy. We need to learn to distinguish between what we really need and what marketing creates。
For ordinary households, thousands of dollars of mobile phones are a significant expense. When the equipment in hand is still running, there is no need to change it blindly; there is a real need to change it and to be calm, to choose rationally, to reject the premium and to start on the basis of need。
Rational consumption, free from traffic and free from desire, is the best consumer intelligence for ordinary people。
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