Emir BardakçıIf you’re holding out for a price drop on a new Xiaomi phone, you need to change your plans immediately. According to major industry leaks, a massive wave of price increases is hitting the smartphone market this March.
The warning comes directly from renowned tipster Digital Chat Station, backed by fresh data from Counterpoint Research and IDC. The root cause? A relentless surge in upstream memory chip costs that manufacturers can no longer absorb.
Here is the brutal reality for phone buyers in 2026:
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Flagships will jump by 30%: Expect to pay 300 to 1000 yuan more for the exact same configurations compared to 2025 models.
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The “Storage Tax”: Planning to get a 512GB or 1TB model? Prepare your wallet. High-storage variants will see brutal price hikes of up to 2000 yuan.
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Older models aren’t safe: It’s not just new releases. Mainstream brands like Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, and Honor are reportedly preparing to raise prices on already released models to cope with component costs.
According to Counterpoint, the global average smartphone price will rise by 6.9% this year, but the Chinese market—which sets the baseline for global pricing—will see new phones costing 15% to 25% more after March.
The era of cheap tech upgrades is pausing. If you need a new Xiaomi device, a POCO phone, or even a PC RAM upgrade, the window to buy at a “normal” price is closing fast. Buy now, or pay the premium next month.
