• Source:JND

If you were holding out hope that smartphones might cost less in 2026, Nothing has some bad news. Carl Pei has confirmed that upcoming Nothing phones due in Q1 2026 are going to come with an “inevitable” price rise and he’s being uncharacteristically upfront about why.

Memory prices are wrecking everything.

'2026 will be an extraordinary year for consumer electronics,' Pei says. NAND and DRAM prices have skyrocketed as manufacturers divert huge volumes for supply to AI data centres. And that comes down to a simple decision for smartphone brands: reduce specs or increase prices.

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Nothing, in other words, has opted not to make hardware worse than it needs to be just to capture more of your money. That spells higher prices, and consumers are going to notice.

Storage options are part of the deal

Nothing. Mid-rangers will also reportedly use a main storage bump from UFS 2.2 to UFS 3.1. Even its existing models, such as the Phone 3a and CMF Phone 2 Pro, are sticking with UFS 2.2, which feels significantly slower in everyday use.

UFS 3.1 will bring:

- Faster app loading

- Quicker file transfers

- Better overall system responsiveness

So while prices may go up, the experience has a good chance of doing so in ways that matter, instead of merely plumping up spec sheets.

The specifications race is ending

Pei also shared an intriguing prediction: 2026 is when the specs race will finally end. Rather than chase benchmark numbers, Nothing says it would rather prioritise the real-world experience and design and software polish.

It remains to be seen whether the industry actually follows that philosophy; however, Nothing is obviously positioning itself away from raw spec wars.

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Nothing isn’t alone

Nothing isn’t the sole brand warning users there will be more to pay. Samsung has already signposted repricing because of memory shortages. Realme also revealed that the 2027 handset will be more expensive than their 2025 counterparts, with the trend expected to continue until 2027 Q4.

What this really means for buyers

Here’s the reality: Smartphone prices are rising, and they’re not going to stop anytime soon. Nothing is opting to bring up prices as it upgrades its hardware rather than sneakily downgrade hardware.

Fair or not, that will all depend on just how well these upcoming phones make their new price tags worthwhile.

Further clarification will follow come the Nothing’s official Q1 2026 debut announcement – but you get the gist. Your next Nothing phone will be more expensive. And now you know exactly why.


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