The Indian Express reported on Friday that Vivo, Nothing and Realme have raised prices on select models in India by up to Rs 7,000, detailing what changed across Vivo, Nothing and Realme price lists. The smartphone revisions came days after Apple raised prices on several MacBook and iPad models in the country. Both moves trace back to climbing memory component costs tied to the build-out of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Hikes ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 7,000 across the three Android brands have begun appearing on online platforms and retail listings, the Indian Express reported. No company has issued a formal announcement of the changes. Industry executives have attributed the increases to a sharp rise in the prices of RAM and storage, driven by growing demand from AI infrastructure.
The New Bill at the Checkout
The latest revisions hit three of India’s biggest mid-range brands. Vivo carries the largest share of changes, spanning its X, V, T and Y series. Nothing has reset the Phone 4a family, while Realme has raised two of its Realme 16 models and trimmed a third.
Several days have passed since Apple increased prices of MacBook and iPad models in India. No Android brand has issued a formal announcement of the latest changes. The new prices have begun showing up on online listings and at retail counters. The Indian Express first reported the revisions on Friday afternoon.
- Vivo: price hikes across X, V, T and Y series, with the X300 FE up by Rs 7,000.
- Nothing: Phone 4a series revised by up to Rs 4,000.
- Realme: Realme 16 and Realme 16 Pro Plus raised by up to Rs 4,000.
- Realme: Realme 16 Pro reduced by up to Rs 3,000 on select variants.
Vivo’s Revisions Span the Widest Portfolio
Vivo has made the widest set of revisions across its portfolio, the Indian Express reported. The biggest single increase falls on the Vivo X300 FE, whose 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB variants are now priced Rs 7,000 higher than before. Other X-series, V-series, T-series and Y-series phones have also been touched. Vivo has not publicly listed the new prices.
Models such as the Vivo V70 FE, T5x, T4 Lite and several Y-series smartphones have seen price increases ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000. The brand’s spread of changes covers phones retailing from below Rs 10,000 to over Rs 90,000. Vivo’s reach across price tiers makes its revisions the most visible piece of the July 2026 round.
The X300 FE itself launched in early May 2026, and the Rs 7,000 jump is its first revision in India. Rivals that already lifted prices earlier this year include Samsung, Oppo, Xiaomi and Motorola, according to the brand-by-brand smartphone price revision roundup. Across the market, mid-range phones priced between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 have absorbed hikes of up to Rs 5,000. Premium phones above Rs 60,000 have generally held their launch prices.
Nothing and Realme Reset Mid-Range Models
Nothing has revised its Phone 4a series by up to Rs 4,000. The base 8GB + 128GB variant of the Phone 4a now costs Rs 39,999, up from Rs 37,999. The Phone 4a Pro has moved higher still, with the 8GB + 128GB variant rising from Rs 39,999 to Rs 49,999 and the top 12GB + 256GB configuration touching Rs 59,999, per the 91mobiles roundup.
Realme’s approach was split. The Realme 16 and Realme 16 Pro Plus have both been raised by up to Rs 4,000 on select variants. The Realme 16 Pro, by contrast, has been reduced by up to Rs 3,000 on certain storage options, per the Indian Express. Realme has not formally announced any of these changes.
| Model | Variant | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing Phone 4a | 8GB + 128GB | Rs 37,999 | Rs 39,999 |
| Nothing Phone 4a Pro | 8GB + 128GB | Rs 39,999 | Rs 49,999 |
| Nothing Phone 4a Pro | 12GB + 256GB | Rs 45,999 | Rs 59,999 |
| Realme 16 | 8GB + 128GB | Rs 31,999 | Rs 34,999 |
| Realme 16 Pro+ | 8GB + 128GB | Rs 39,999 | Rs 49,999 |
The Memory Crunch Reshaping Phone Bills
The trigger sits inside every phone. RAM and storage chips have climbed over the past year as memory makers such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology have shifted production lines to serve AI data centers. Apple’s own push to a 12GB on-device AI memory threshold is part of the same demand pull. That shift has throttled supply of LPDDR RAM and NAND flash to consumer brands.
Industry tracker TrendForce reported that RAM prices rose by as much as 98 per cent in the first quarter of 2026. The same tracker projects another jump of 58 per cent to 63 per cent in the current quarter. Smartphones and PCs now compete with AI customers for the same fab output.
Morgan Stanley has dubbed the phenomenon ‘chipflation’. According to the brokerage, memory chip prices have risen six-fold over the past year as suppliers prioritise high-margin AI and data-centre customers over consumer electronics manufacturers. The squeeze has hit brands that operate on thin margins hardest. India’s mid-range segment, which drives the bulk of local smartphone sales, sits directly in that pressure zone.
Himanshu Verma, Founder and CTO of Bee Online Communication, framed the trend as an ‘AI tax’ on smartphones. ‘The rapid rise in mobile phone prices is driven by higher cost semiconductors, market supply-demand imbalance, and the greater need for high-performance computing,’ Verma told NDTV. The same outlet reported that memory now accounts for up to 40 per cent of the manufacturing cost of a budget phone. Counterpoint Research, cited in industry coverage, expects smartphone prices to keep climbing through 2026.
Apple Set the Pattern a Week Ago
Apple set the template earlier in the week when it reset pricing on its Mac and iPad lineup in India. The base 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip and 16GB RAM launched at Rs 1,69,900 and now sells for Rs 2,39,900, a jump of Rs 70,000, per the Apple’s India MacBook and iPad pricing reset. The MacBook Air M5 has moved from Rs 1,19,900 to Rs 1,49,900, while the 15-inch MacBook Air now costs Rs 1,79,900, up Rs 35,000 from its Rs 1,44,900 launch price. Apple’s entry-level MacBook Neo has become Rs 10,000 more expensive. The iPad Air starts at Rs 89,900 and the iPad Pro at Rs 1,39,900, with the standard iPad at Rs 49,900 and the iPad mini at Rs 69,900.
The consumer electronics industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. The rapid expansion of AI data centers has created an extraordinary surge in demand for memory and storage. We have never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly.
Apple, in a statement shared with the Times of India, said it had ‘shielded customers’ from the increases so far but had reached a point where it needed to begin passing costs through. The company added that it is ‘working tirelessly to find solutions’ to the pressure.
On a late-April conference call with analysts, Tim Cook had telegraphed the move. ‘We expect significantly higher memory costs. Beyond the June quarter, we believe memory costs will drive an increasing impact on our business,’ Cook said at the time. Cook also confirmed the price hike last week, the Times of India reported.
Where Mid-Range Buyers Land
The mid-range buyer is taking the heaviest hit from the current round. Across India, brands including Samsung, Vivo, Oppo, Realme, Xiaomi and Nothing have been quietly raising prices since late 2025, per a recent NDTV analysis of why budget smartphones are getting more expensive. In many cases, phones now cost Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,500 more than before, with some models up to 40 per cent costlier than at launch. The hikes are happening in a market where the mid-range segment drives India’s smartphone sales.
NDTV also reported that sales data for early 2026 shows smartphone purchases down nearly 9 per cent year-on-year in India. The 91mobiles roundup put the average price hike across brands at Rs 1,500 by March 2026. Smartphones in the Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 range from Oppo and Realme have seen some of the steepest single-step hikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are smartphone prices rising in India in July 2026?
Smartphone prices are rising because memory makers are shifting production lines to high-bandwidth memory for AI data centres, leaving fewer LPDDR RAM and NAND flash chips for consumer phones. TrendForce reports RAM prices rose as much as 98 per cent in Q1 2026, with a further 58 per cent to 63 per cent increase projected for the current quarter. NDTV puts memory at up to 40 per cent of the manufacturing cost of a budget phone.
Which brands raised prices most recently?
Vivo made the widest set of revisions across its X, V, T and Y series, with the X300 FE seeing the steepest single increase of Rs 7,000. Nothing revised its Phone 4a family by up to Rs 4,000. Realme raised the Realme 16 and Realme 16 Pro Plus by up to Rs 4,000 and reduced the Realme 16 Pro by up to Rs 3,000 on select variants. None of the three brands has formally announced the changes.
Did Apple also raise prices in India?
Yes. Apple raised prices on its MacBook and iPad lineup in India earlier in the same week. The base 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 chip now sells for Rs 2,39,900, up Rs 70,000 from its Rs 1,69,900 launch price. Apple cited the same memory crunch behind the move.
How much have memory prices climbed?
TrendForce says RAM prices jumped up to 98 per cent in Q1 2026, with another 58 per cent to 63 per cent increase projected for the current quarter. Morgan Stanley puts the year-on-year rise at six-fold, as memory makers such as Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron prioritise AI and data-centre customers over consumer electronics brands. Industry insiders have taken to calling this the ‘AI tax’ on phones.
Should buyers wait or buy a smartphone now?
Counterpoint Research expects smartphone prices to keep rising through 2026, citing the same memory squeeze. Industry tracker 91mobiles noted that even sale periods on Amazon and Flipkart now offer smaller effective discounts because the new baseline prices are higher. With memory costs projected to keep climbing, the discounts available today may be the best buyers see for some time.
