Bad news for your wallet: Qualcomm's chip prices are going up, and your next phone will cost more

Qualcomm is raising chipset prices by a double-digit percentage starting in September, and your next phone will likely cost more as a result.

What happened

Qualcomm is raising chipset prices by a double-digit percentage starting in September, and your next phone will likely cost more as a result.

Practical impact for readers

It's no secret that smartphone prices have been climbing this year. Samsung has already raised prices across its Galaxy Z8 lineup , while Google's upcoming Pixel 11 series is also expected to launch at higher prices than its predecessor. Much of that has been blamed on the ongoing RAM price crisis that's affecting the entire smartphone industry.

Details worth verifying

Unfortunately, things don't seem to be getting any better. According to a Bloomberg report , Qualcomm has informed its hardware partners that it will increase chipset prices by a double-digit percentage starting September 1, 2026. The company reportedly told partners that it can no longer absorb the higher manufacturing costs and will instead pass them on.

Who should act or wait

That, in turn, means smartphone makers will have to pay more for the chipsets that power their devices. And when component costs go up, those increases almost always make their way to consumers.

What is still unclear

Since Qualcomm's Snapdragon chips power smartphones from Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Honor, Motorola, and many other Android brands, this isn't just a problem for one company.

Source notes

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