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If you've been eyeing laptops, tablets, or even just a spare stick of RAM to speed up your old PC, you've probably noticed price trends swinging the wrong way
As we settle into 2026, the "cheap tech" era feels like a distant memory. Honestly, it's a bit of a slap in the face. Technology was supposed to get faster and cheaper, but right now, we're paying premium prices just to stay relevant.
So, what's really going on behind the scenes?
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Image via George Dolgikh/PexelsThe AI monster is eating our chips
Let me break it down without getting too bogged down in the boring bits.
Basically, the whole planet has gone "AI crazy". Every big company is trying to build their own version of ChatGPT, and those massive AI brains require a specific, high-performance type of memory called HBM (High Bandwidth Memory).
Here's the thing: the factories that produce the RAM for your laptop are the same ones that make this fancy AI memory. Because certain companies are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for these chips, manufacturers are shifting their focus. They are dedicating more and more of their "wafer" space — the raw material used to make chips — to the big spenders.
This leaves the rest of us fighting over the leftovers. It is like a bakery that stops making regular bread because they can make ten times the profit selling fancy artisan croissants to five-star hotels. Suddenly, your humble loaf of white bread is twice the price because there is only one oven left for it.
Your next phone might be a "downgrade"
This is where it hits the average Malaysian who doesn't even know what "DDR5" means. You might be thinking, "I don't build PCs, so I'm safe, right?"
Unfortunately, no.
Smartphone brands are currently facing a massive headache. To keep their phone prices under that magical RM1,500 or RM2,000 mark, they have to cut corners somewhere. In 2026, a trend called "spec-downing" is emerging.
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Image via KaiOSUsually, a mid-range phone would jump from 8GB to 12GB of RAM between generations. But this year? Some brands are actually sticking to 8GB or, heaven forbid, dropping back to 6GB while touting "virtual RAM" as a marketing gimmick.
Honestly, virtual RAM is like trying to use a teaspoon to eat a giant bowl of laksa; it works, but is not a pleasant experience.
So, how does this affect your daily life?
Apps you use every day are becoming "heavier" and more demanding. If RAM prices stay high and phone manufacturers keep cutting back, your phone is going to start "killing" apps in the background more often.
Have you ever switched from a game of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang to reply to a WhatsApp message, only to find the game restarted when you switch back? That is a RAM issue. As prices go up, that annoying "restarting" problem will happen more frequently on budget and mid-range devices.
Even your office laptop is not safe. If you are the type who keeps 50 Chrome tabs open while trying to join a Microsoft Teams meeting, you are going to feel the pinch. A laptop with 16GB of RAM is becoming the bare minimum, and in 2026, the price is starting to rival what we used to pay for high-end gaming rigs.
Here is the million-dollar question: Should you rush to buy more RAM?
Honestly, it depends on how desperate you are. If your current laptop is at the end of it's servicable age, buying now could save you some money until late 2027 when new factories finally come online.
However, if you are just looking for a "nice to have" upgrade, maybe hold off. We might see some 'budget' series components being released specifically to address this price gap. Just don't expect the glory days of RM70 RAM sticks to come back anytime soon.
