Buying a new Android phone? Qualcomm's price hike could make it more expensive
The price increase for Qualcomm's chips is expected to be in the double digits.
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- Qualcomm will reportedly raise chip prices by a double-digit percentage for products shipped after September 1.
- The increase could affect Android phones and Windows AI laptops that use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors.
- Qualcomm says supplier costs have risen, while memory chip shortages are adding pressure across the tech industry.
- Consumers may face higher device prices if phone and laptop makers pass the added costs on to buyers.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
American tech giant Qualcomm, best known for its Snapdragon mobile phone chips used in many Android phones and new Windows laptops, will reportedly raise prices by a double-digit percentage starting in September. The move could have ripple effects across the Android ecosystem.
Qualcomm is set to raise its chip prices, affecting products shipped after September 1st, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing a letter sent to customers.
Although the exact price increase is not yet disclosed, it’s expected to be in the double digits.
According to the publication’s report, Qualcomm has “exhausted its ability to absorb higher costs from suppliers,” and has turned to new suppliers for alternative components.
The San Diego-based company is the biggest maker of smartphone processors. As Bloomberg News notes, the move is likely to have a ripple effect on the smartphone industry, and, in particular, the Android ecosystem.
Qualcomm’s chips power many premium smartphones and Windows AI laptops. This includes the most powerful Android smartphones on the market, such as Samsung's Galaxy S26 series, OnePlus 15, Xiaomi 15, Oppo Find X9 Ultra, Asus ROG Phone 9, and Motorola Razr lineups.
On the PC side, Snapdragon X-series processors power devices like Microsoft's Surface Laptop and Surface Pro, Dell's XPS 13, Lenovo's Yoga Slim 7x, HP's OmniBook X, and Asus' Vivobook S 15.
Recent reports suggest that the company's top-tier mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, expected for release later this year, will be priced upwards of $300. In comparison, the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 runs around $280, so the price hike represents a noticeable increase. The new processor will likely be used in many flagship Android smartphones.
Devices running Qualcomm’s chips could become pricier if companies decide to pass the costs on to consumers.
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The company continues to grapple with rising component costs amid a memory chip shortage and global smartphone shipments falling 11% in the second quarter.
And yet, concerns about memory chip pricing extend well beyond Qualcomm.
In June, a coalition of organizations, including the National Retail Federation, wrote a letter to the US Treasury and Commerce departments warning that “an urgent imbalance in the market for memory chips” could lead to “significant and sustained near-term price increases for American households and disrupt critical US supply chains.”
