Are you planning to upgrade your television or finally get that smartphone you’ve been eyeing? You might want to act fast as prices of electronic gadgets like smartphones, televisions and laptops are likely to rise in the coming weeks. Industry executives and market experts have warned of a 4-8% rise in prices over the next two months, with prices rising as much as 21% during November and December. At the heart of the issue is the rapidly increasing prices of memory chips. Smartphone makers are struggling with rising costs as demand for memory increases due to the adoption of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. Officials quoted by ET cautioned that these increases may not be temporary, and could be repeated regularly, possibly every quarter or every month during the year. According to Counterpoint Research, the global memory market has entered a “hyper-bull” phase. After a nearly 50% rise in prices last quarter, prices are expected to rise by 40-50% in the current quarter, followed by an additional 20% increase between April and June. “Some smartphone brands like Vivo and Nothing have increased prices by Rs 3,000-5,000 in January, while others like Samsung are making indirect efforts like cash back and cutting discounts,” Tarun Pathak, research director at Counterpoint Research, told the financial daily. He said memory prices could continue to rise in 2026 and next year. “While brands will account for this in new launches, there may also be shrinkage, causing them to cut back on certain components such as displays,” he said. Manufacturers also point to supply constraints. Many phone and television manufacturers say memory chip availability has become a major hurdle. Super Plastronics, which sells televisions under the Kodak, Thomson and Blaupunkt brands, said it is currently able to procure only about 10% of its required memory chip orders. “We increased prices by 7% in November, now by 10% this month, and plan to increase by 4% in February,” said Avneet Singh Marwah, chief executive of Super Plastronics. “In fact, the discount will be one of the lowest in the upcoming Republic Day sale.” Retailers have highlighted that the impact is already visible on shop floors. Laptop prices have increased by 5-8%, while major television brands have reported that further increases are imminent. “This price increase will have an immediate impact on demand,” said Pulkit Baid, director of Great Eastern Retail. The All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA) said smartphone prices rose between 3% and 21% during November and December. The association, which represents more than 150,000 mobile phone stores nationwide, said current signals from brands suggest the cumulative price increase could reach 30% in the coming months. “This price shock is expected to cause a significant contraction in the market, with 2026 shipment volumes projected to decline by 10-12%,” said Kailash Lakhyani, president of AIMRA. “The most significant impact will be felt in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment, which represents the highest sales volume in India. “Consumers are already in a wait-and-see mode.” Counterpoint Research has also flagged the risk of a sharper decline in India’s smartphone market than its earlier estimate of a 2% decline in 2026, citing higher memory costs and rising handset prices. The weak rupee against the US dollar has increased the pressure on companies. The scale of memory price increases is evident even in server-grade components. Counterpoint data shows that 4GB RDIMM memory prices will rise from $255 in the September quarter of 2025 to $450 in the December quarter and could reach $700 by March 2026.