Memory prices have gone up sharply in the last few quarters, and it now appears the situation isn’t going to get better anytime soon, at least for the next two years. DDR5 is already facing price surges, and the latest supply chain reports suggest a significant price increase would affect older DDR4 and DDR3 modules, which far exceeds initial expectations.

According to a DigiTimes report, memory contract prices are still being finalized, and that’s only going to worsen the situation. Citing supply chain sources, the report reveals that the older DDR4 memory is expected to see a price increase of over 50% in Q3 2026. The report specifically targets DDR4 8Gb DRAM modules.

Earlier, some industry analysts predicted that the rate at which memory prices were rising could narrow to 10–20%, but the reality is just the opposite. Based on the current scenarios, it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better soon.

The spot prices for DDR4 16Gb memory are already high, and in some cases, they are more expensive than DDR5 memory with the same specifications. Their main application largely revolves around PCs. The demand for DDR4 memory rose significantly in Q2, leading to an unexpected price increase. The report also mentions that Taiwanese-made DDR4 memory is priced much higher than Samsung’s offering. The South Korean giant has shifted its production capacity to focus on DDR5 and next-gen premium memory to capture a larger share of revenue from AI customers.

Contract prices for DDR4 8Gb continued their strong upward trend in the third quarter. Due to severe capacity shortages, some industry players reportedly received information from Taiwanese memory manufacturers that DDR4 8Gb prices would increase by 50% in the third quarter compared to the second quarter, breaking through the previously expected price ceiling. 

via DigiTimes

Enterprise-grade SSDs, equipped with DRAM, are also contributing to a surge in DDR4 demand. Having DRAM offers various benefits, including lower latency and higher speeds through caching. With large data centers moving towards high-capacity, enterprise-grade SSDs, the need for DRAM will continue to rise.

The three major companies, Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix, have largely moved away from DDR4 production. Samsung produces in smaller volumes for a few long-term customers, while Micron recently announced mass production of DDR4 and LPDDR4 using the 1α process at its Manassas plant in Virginia, USA. The Taiwan-based Nanya Technology and Winbond Electronics handle the majority of DDR production, which is far below the actual global demand.

The crisis that originally began in the DDR5 segment has trickled down to the legacy DDR3 networks. Prices of 4Gb DDR4 and DDR3 are expected to surge through the second half of 2026. Based on spot prices in early July, here’s the average price of DDR3 and DDR5:

Average price (July 2026)

• DDR4 4Gb (512MB x 8) — $12.75
• DDR5 16Gb (2GB x 8) — $47.07

Price per Gb

• DDR3 4Gb — $3.19
• DDR5 16Gb — $2.94

As the production capacity of every major company has already been utilized, the supply-demand gap will continue to rise. According to some industry experts, the DRAM prices for DDR5, DDR4, and DDR3 will continue to surge at least until 2028. That also means we’re likely to see more price hikes in the near future.

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As the electronic devices of today keep getting more technologically advanced year by year, as consumers, we demand more memory and faster speeds for smoother operations across a wide variety of applications. DRAM memory has become an essential electronic component in keeping our devices running smoothly and fast, and there are a lot of RAM options in the market from the latest DDR5 memory to the cheapest DDR3 memory.

However, DDR3 seems to be showing its age in the market, as the technology initially launched in 2007 turns 15 years old today in 2022. With that context in mind, several of the world’s largest DRAM suppliers such as Samsung and SK Hynix have come out to announce that the industry is looking to discontinue the production of DDR3 due to dwindling market demands, and higher demands for its DDR4 and DDR5 options instead.

According to Digitimes, Samsung has already notified its customers that the company will keep taking orders on DDR3 RAM until the end of 2022 and fulfil these orders by the end of 2023. Popular 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB DDR3 memory options are expected to have production ceased by the end of 2022. 

SK Hynix is also reportedly looking forward to phasing out DDR3 SDRAM production, though it is unclear when the company will cease to supply them. The report from Digitimes, also notes that citing industry sources, DRAM maker Micron, on the other hand, has no plans to cease production of DDR3 RAM at the time of publishing. 

Although most electronic devices of today have already transitioned over DDR4 or DDR5 memory for DRAM, there is still a relatively large quantity of inexpensive devices like routers that still use DDR3 memory. In addition, older 2nd hand or refurbished early 2010s laptops that are still in circulation in the market still need DDR3 memory for repairs and replacements.

The discontinuation of production could spell a price hike for the inexpensive electronic devices, as manufacturers will now be using the more expensive DDR4 option instead, and that cost of production in the end would be given back to the consumer. On the bright side, technology is finally saying goodbye to the slower DDR3 memory, and providing a faster user experience for all by transitioning to DDR4 and DDR5 in the future.

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(Via)

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Looking at most of the phones released this year, we can confidently say 3GB RAM phones are the new 2GB RAM devices. We can also say 4GB RAM phones are the new 3GB RAM phones.

If you are out for a new phone, you sure can get one with 3GB of RAM for a little over $100 like the Vernee Thor, and if you want something from a brand with a bigger name and a different chip, the ASUS Pegasus/X550 sells for less than $120 and comes with a Snapdragon 615 processor. Android manufacturers are not the only ones who have caught the RAM bug, seeing as Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus has 3GB of RAM.

This year we have also seen phones launch with 6GB RAM like the OnePlus 3 and heard lots of rumours of phones sporting 8GB of RAM. While the latter hasn’t seen the light of day, we are sure it will start to appear next year.

Larger RAMs if well optimised is a good thing but it has led to an increase in price of this important part of a phone. DDR3 and DDR4 RAMs have now hit the $2 mark in the last quarter and it is expected to continue rising.

Last month, 4GB DDR4 RAM sold for an average price of $2.17 which is an 18.6% increase. 4GB DDR3 sold for an average price of $2.08, an increase of 22.4%.

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The increase in price is attributed to an increase in demand from Chinese manufacturers with supply not meeting up. DRAM production companies like Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron have also cut production which will further affect supply.

Analysts say the increase will continue into the fourth quarter and will be at least 15% higher than that of Q3.

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