Memory cost inflation pushes Southeast Asia smartphone ASP to record high

EE Times Asia reports that Southeast Asia smartphone shipments declined to 21.6 million units in 1Q 2026, down 9% year over year, while average selling price reached a record $349. The report attributes the pricing reset to memory cost inflation and says rising DRAM and NAND costs are putting affordability pressure on a region where most smartphones are priced below $200. For RamTrend, this is a direct downstream demand and pricing signal. Higher memory costs are being passed into finished-device pricing, pressuring low-end demand while vendors prioritize margins. The result is a mixed setup for mobile memory: higher component costs support pricing, but weaker unit shipments and affordability pressure can weigh on bit demand in price-sensitive segments.