Global memory chip price hikes are reshaping the consumer electronics market, as upstream manufacturers shift wafer capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI servers, squeezing consumer-grade flash memory supply. According to Chinese tech media outlet Leitech, sustained production cuts and price-protection strategies by NAND flash manufacturers have raised procurement costs, causing phone makers severe cost anxiety and widening premiums on higher-capacity versions. Forbes Japan, citing TrendForce data, reports that DRAM contract prices surged approximately 90% to 95% in Q1 2026, with another 58% to 63% increase expected in Q2. This supply-demand imbalance has forced Microsoft's Surface and Xbox divisions, Dell Technologies, HP, and Lenovo to raise prices. Apple announced in late June it would hike Mac and iPad prices by $100 to $300, with CEO Tim Cook describing the memory crisis as a "once-in-a-century flood." Apple shares tumbled 6% in a single day but quickly rebounded. As built-in storage grows expensive, consumers are turning to memory cards for storage expansion, with memory card slots potentially returning to mobile phones as early as the second half of 2026. The memory card market is undergoing a technological upgrade, driven by the handheld gaming console market, as Nintendo's Switch 2, launched in 2025, only supports MicroSD.