How AI is Killing Your Wallet: All Smartphone Price Hike Revealed

Walking into a smartphone store in 2026 feels less like tech shopping and more like a high-stakes auction. If your wallet is already breaking a sweat, you aren’t alone. Between a relentless global chip shortage and the insatiable RAM demands of the “AI Boom,” the industry has hit a fever pitch and consumers are footing the bill. From the OnePlus 15 to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, the prices of flagship phones has never been higher. We break down how AI is taxing your wallet, and how brands are launching last year flagships at a premium because, well, AI.

New Samsung Phones Price Hike List

Samsung’s flagship S26 series has become the victim of price hikes caused by AI datacentres. Take the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for instance, it brings minor changes across the board but is still 10K expensive than last year. And if you are planning to buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, be prepared to shell out 20K more than last year. While these phones do offer new AI features, none of them are exclusive to the S26 series. That being said, here are all the new smartphones launched by Samsung with a price hike:

New Xiaomi Phones Price Hike List

The smartphone price hike seems to have hit Xiaomi’s recent flagship the most. With a whopping 30K increase over last year, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra now costs the same as the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Heck, even the compact Xiaomi 17 has received a massive 25K price hike over last year’s Xiaomi 15. And if you thought Xiaomi’s budget phones would be spared, you are in for a surprise. The Redmi Note 15 series and the entry level Redmi 15C have both been hit by the price hike wave:

OnePlus Price Hike List

OnePlus is one of the few smartphone brands that have been the least hit by the smartphone price hike. While the OnePlus 15 is pricier than last year’s OnePlus 13 ,the price increase is a nominal 3K. However, fans of the R series will be disappointed over the 5K increment in the 15R. Some rumours indicate that the OnePlus 15R might soon cross the 50K barrier with another price hike although nothing is official yet.

Oppo Price Hike List

OnePlus’s parent company, Oppo seems to be have been more prominently affected by the price hike. Whether you are shopping for the flagship Find X9 series or the mid-range Reno 15 series, be prepared to shell out more. While the Oppo Find X9 and Oppo Find X9 Pro have received 3K and 5K hike respectively, the Reno 15 Pro has gained a massive 18K price hike over its predecessor. Even the budget Oppo K14x isn’t spared by the chip shortage despite not having any unique AI features.

Apple Price Hike List

Apple products were already expensive and the AI boom has only resulted in a price surge. Whether you are in the market for the iPhone 17 or the Pro models with their Cosmic Orange colors, you will need to pay more ranging from 3K to 5K. Even Apple’s latest iPhone 17e gains a 5K increase over last year’s iPhone 16e. But for what’s its worth, atleast you are getting 256GB of storage in the base iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e this year compared to last year’s 128GB.

Vivo Phone Price Hike List:

Vivo phones are famous for their cameras and design but this year, they are also popular due to their price hikes. Take the Vivo X300 series for instance, you need to pay 10K-15K more if you want a good camera flagship. Even mid-range and budget phones like the Vivo V70 and the T5X have been affected. Here are all the new phones that have been launched by Vivo with a price hike:

Poco Phones Price Hike

Xiaomi’s sub-brand Poco known for its aggressive pricing is also affected by the price hike. Although the surge in pricing is limited to two models but the effect is still there. Take the recently launched Poco X8 Pro which comes with a 5K price hike over its predecessor and doesn’t even have any cool AI effects. Another example is the Poco M8 5G which now costs double over its predecessor with a 9K price hike:

iQOO Price Hike List

Vivo’s sub brand, iQOO which caters to power users with its exceptional price to performance ratio has also been affected by the price hike. The company’s flagship iQOO 15 has seen a massive 18K surge in price while the mid-range iQOO Z11x has been pushed to sub 20K segment from sub 15K price bracket.

Also Read:

• The ‘AI Tax’ is Here: Full Smartphone Price Hike List
• Xiaomi 17 Series Shows Why They Should Have Sticked to Their ‘Original’ Plan

Realme Price Hike List

Realme, now a part of the Oppo group, has also seen prices hike across the board. Whether it’s the company’s flagship, GT 8 Pro or the mid-range Realme 16 Pro series, you will need to pay more over last year’s model. That being said, here are the price hikes for all the new Realme smartphones

Note: Realme’s 16 and 16 Pro Plus are the successor to last year’s 15 and 15 Pro as the company changed the naming convention last year.

Nothing Smartphone Price Hike List

With Nothing CEO Carl Pei recently stated that consumers need to prepared to pay more for phones and this is evident in the company’s own smartphones. The recently launched Nothing Phone (4a) series has received a massive jump especially when you consider the Phone (4a) which comes with 10K price premium. Do note these were sub 30K phones onces which have now entered the sub 40K price bracket.

Why Are New Phones Getting Expensive And What Should I Do?

If I have to give a one word answer, it’s AI. With companies like ChatGPT and Nvidia building new datacentres, key components like storage and memory have been diverted to them. Since these datacentres rely on High Bandwidth memory found in RAM and storage, your next phone purchase is getting more expensive. For a detailed explainer, here’s our video explaining the nuances of it.