The latest reports from China make one thing clear for anyone thinking about picking up a new phone. Xiaomi plans to price its upcoming high-end devices above 6,000 yuan according to an informant cited by Digital Chat Station, marking a sharp increase from previous levels and signaling that the company with typically the thinnest margins in the sector sees no other option.

This adjustment stems from the same component cost pressures affecting the entire industry. AI companies are paying massive sums for chips, memory, storage and graphics cards, which creates both higher prices and limited stock availability for everyone else. The result is that all manufacturers will likely need to raise prices on flagship devices, with older models in production also impacted by the new memory costs.

In Europe those 130-140 euro increases seen in China could easily translate to over 250 euros at retail. Apple which has held iPhone pricing steady for two years now faces the same headwinds, making the second half of 2026 a particularly bad time for anyone not needing the latest hardware to delay purchases.

Memory Scarcity Shows Up in Gaming Requirements Too

The same dynamics play out in PC gaming where Big Fire Games initially listed Cinder City with a recommended 64 GB of RAM before revising both minimum and recommended specs to 32 GB. That figure still looks excessive for a multiplatform title also coming to PS5, Xbox Series X and especially the Xbox Series S which operates with roughly 8 GB of unified memory available for games.

The updated recommended specs call for an Intel Core i7-12700 or AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 and 50 GB on SSD running Windows 10 or 11 with DirectX 12. While the CPU and GPU targets seem reasonable given the ray tracing and DLSS 4.5 support including Super Resolution and Multi Frame Generation shown in early trailers, the RAM requirement feels inflated even for a PC-only release.

Developers appear to be assuming access to high memory configurations because availability of affordable RAM has tightened. This creates an odd situation where a console-targeted game demands PC hardware specs that many gamers simply will not have, illustrating how component monopolization by AI workloads ripples through unrelated sectors.

Chinese Brands Push Forward in Both Phones and EVs

Chinese manufacturers continue aggressive expansion even as these cost pressures build. In Spain June 2026 delivered a record 15,942 pure electric vehicles sold, up 23.3 percent from the previous year and reaching a 10.5 percent market share. The first half of the year saw 71,086 electric cars registered, a 35.4 percent increase that puts EVs at 9.23 percent of total car sales.

Tesla led with the Model 3 taking 1,993 units in June followed by the Model Y at 779, while BYD claimed five spots in the top ten including the Seal at 498 units and Dolphin Surf at 479. Other strong performers included the Kia EV3 with 568 registrations, Cupra Raval at 526, Leapmotor B10 at 479 and Changan Deepal S05 at 390. For the full year to date the Tesla Model 3 leads with 5,763 units ahead of the Model Y and BYD Dolphin Surf.

At brand level Tesla captured 18.93 percent of electric sales in June while BYD took 13.41 percent. This mirrors the phone market where Xiaomi and other Chinese players compete intensely on value. European buyers increasingly focus on practical factors like range and charging networks rather than other considerations, helping Tesla grow 77 percent in Europe through May compared to 2025.

Deals Available Today May Not Last

Current market conditions have produced some of the better offers seen recently, creating a window that could close quickly once the anticipated price adjustments hit. Samsung now sells the Galaxy S26 256 GB model for 711.55 euros through its official store with additional discounts available via PayPal or Samsung Pay using specific coupons.

The Xiaomi 17 in its 12 GB RAM and 512 GB storage configuration sits at 799 euros on PcComponentes, well below its normal 1,099 euro positioning. That device packs a 6.3-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, 6,339 mAh silicon-carbon battery and Leica-tuned cameras, making the current pricing particularly attractive before broader increases take effect.

A 55-inch Samsung S93F OLED television has dropped to 944.10 euros from an original 1,999 euros, bringing high refresh rate gaming and movie features within reach. If you need a phone, television or other tech product that does not require the absolute latest generation, securing one of these deals now makes more sense than waiting for higher price lists later this year.