Honor has confirmed that it will raise prices on its tablet lineup due to the continued surge in memory and storage chip costs. The announcement follows similar moves by Xiaomi, which recently increased prices across multiple tablet models in the Chinese market.
The general manager of Honor’s tablet and IoT division said on Weibo that the company can no longer absorb the rising memory prices. He advised consumers to buy tablets soon before the new pricing takes effect.
The pricing pressure is tied to a broader trend in the tech industry. Since September, spot prices for DRAM and NAND flash have jumped by more than 300%, according to third-party research firms. Analysts attribute this rise to the growing demand from AI data centers, which is diverting chip supply away from traditional consumer electronics.
Xiaomi was among the first to respond. The company raised the starting price of the Xiaomi Pad 8 from 2,199 yuan ($307.86) to 2,299 yuan ($321.86). It also adjusted the Pad 8 Pro’s base price from 2,799 yuan ($391.86) to 2,899 yuan ($405.86). The entire Redmi Pad 2 lineup saw a uniform 200 yuan ($28.00) price increase, with the entry-level model now starting at 1,199 yuan ($167.86).
Honor is now expected to follow with a similar adjustment. Industry experts believe more brands will implement price hikes or adopt other strategies, such as lowering specifications or redistributing costs across the supply chain.
The impact is not limited to tablets and smartphones. PC components tied closely to RAM and storage are also expected to see price increases, with revised pricing likely to appear starting next year. Prices are already elevated, and potential exits by major players such as Samsung from parts of the market could push costs even higher.
Consumers planning to buy a tablet in the coming weeks may want to act quickly.
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