Samsung Plans Another 20% Memory Price Hike in Q3 2026

Samsung is preparing to increase the price of its memory chips once again in the third quarter of 2026, continuing a series of sharp price hikes that began earlier this year. The company is reportedly negotiating with customers to raise commodity DRAM prices by up to 20% compared to the previous quarter. It also plans to increase the prices of LPDDR memory, which is widely used in smartphones and servers, by more than 20%.

This marks the third consecutive quarter of price increases from Samsung. In the first quarter of 2026, the company raised commodity DRAM prices by around 90% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. It followed that move with another increase of 50% to 60% during the second quarter.

Samsung Plans Another 20% Memory Price Hike in Q3 2026

Industry reports suggest that supply constraints have played a major role in the latest price adjustments. Samsung is reportedly facing severe bottlenecks, leading the company to charge more for LPDDR memory, which is an essential component in modern mobile devices and data center servers.

The continued rise in memory prices could affect the broader consumer electronics market. Manufacturers that rely on DRAM and LPDDR chips may face higher production costs, which could eventually lead to more expensive smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices.

Samsung’s pricing strategy differs from that of SK hynix, another major memory chip manufacturer. SK hynix has maintained relatively stable pricing because it earns a larger share of its revenue from High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), a type of memory mainly used in artificial intelligence applications. These products are often sold through long-term agreements, making their prices less likely to change frequently.

Samsung, on the other hand, has a larger presence in the commodity DRAM market, where prices are more sensitive to changes in supply and demand. Although the pace of DRAM price increases has started to slow, industry analysts do not expect prices to decline anytime soon. The growing use of long-term contracts has also created a pricing floor that helps keep memory prices elevated.

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Recent market data also highlights the sharp rise in LPDDR5X pricing. After nearly tripling since the beginning of 2025, the contract price for a 12GB LPDDR5X module reached around $145 per unit in recent months. This represents an increase of nearly $69 since the start of 2026, reflecting the strong demand and limited supply in the market.

At the same time, Samsung and SK hynix have announced long-term plans to expand memory chip production. The two companies will invest approximately $800 billion over the next decade to increase manufacturing capacity. However, because this expansion will take years to complete, it is unlikely to provide immediate relief for customers facing rising memory costs.

For now, businesses that depend on memory chips should prepare for continued price pressure. Unless production capacity improves significantly or demand weakens, higher DRAM and LPDDR prices will remain a challenge throughout the rest of the year.