Apple · Wired
All Your Favorite Gadgets Are Getting Way More Expensive … Again
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If you're in the market for anything with a memory chip in it, now might be the time to snag it.
Key facts
- Sean Cleland, the vice president of Mobility tech at the recommerce company B-Stock, says used smartphones are selling for 10 to 20 percent more than they were in December 2025
- Secondary market pricing will go back to normal depreciation, but it will continue being a step above what it was in 2025
- People are worried that they're going to have to pay a lot of money for the next device or the next purchase,” says Thibaud Hug de Larauze, the CEO of the secondhand marketplace Back Market
- In June, Apple announced increased prices for its MacBooks and iPads
Summary
Another round of price increases for consumer electronics seems to be underway. This fresh bout of price increases—following last year’s tariffs —is driven by many factors, but the chief culprit is the ongoing memory shortage, i.e., software component producers making it a priority to manufacture chips for AI data centers over other tech that requires them. “In the past, you maybe could have waited out little blips like this,” says Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at the Global Electronics Association, which reports on the memory shortage and the industries it affects. DuBravac says the move to avoid price hikes is to buy refurbished gear, but if you need something new, then keep an eye out for what price increases have already hit.