Oppo and OnePlus will raise prices for some existing phones
Oppo and OnePlus smartphones will get more expensive next week because of increased component costs. Oppo has announced the price hike in a notice on its official online store, according to a Gizmochina report. The increase will take effect on Monday, March 16.Among the affected products are Oppo’s budget A-series and K-series phones and unspecified OnePlus devices. Oppo’s Find and Reno smartphones and the Oppo Pad tablets won’t be affected, and the increase will apply only to the Chinese market.
Only the beginning
In its announcement, Oppo said that the decision for what it calls “price adjustments” is a response to the higher costs for key components, including high-speed storage hardware. The company hasn’t said if the increase will extend to OnePlus devices sold in the US, but such a move wouldn’t come as a surprise.
The ongoing memory shortage has led to a drastic increase in the prices of RAM and storage, which has a stronger impact on lower-cost devices. Those are usually sold on thinner margins than premium devices, making it impossible for the manufacturers to absorb the higher material costs. A recent forecast predicted that the smartphone market will shrink by almost 13% this year because of the memory shortage.
Other companies have also warned that they may raise their prices, though we haven’t seen major hikes yet. However, rumors about some upcoming devices, including the Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57, point at noticeable increases.
Now’s the time for a new phone
If you’re on the fence about upgrading your aging smartphone, it might be a good idea to make your decision quickly. I’ve always believed that if you need a new phone, you should buy it right away, but now that could also save you some money, as smartphone prices are only going up this year.
