Redmi K80 Series to See Price Increase Due to Snapdragon 8 Gen4 and Memory Cost Rise

Redmi K80 Series to See Price Increase Due to Snapdragon 8 Gen4 and Memory Cost RiseRedmi General Manager Wang Teng recently revealed in an interaction with fans that the Redmi K80 series will see a price increase, though he aims to keep the hike minimal. This news undoubtedly disappointed many consumers eagerly anticipating the series, considering the prevailing price war trend in the smartphone market

Redmi K80 Series to See Price Increase Due to Snapdragon 8 Gen4 and Memory Cost Rise

Redmi General Manager Wang Teng recently revealed in an interaction with fans that the Redmi K80 series will see a price increase, though he aims to keep the hike minimal. This news undoubtedly disappointed many consumers eagerly anticipating the series, considering the prevailing price war trend in the smartphone market. However, a closer examination reveals that the price increase is not entirely unjustified.

Looking back at the flagship phones released this month, major manufacturers have all implemented price hikes. The root cause lies in the rising cost of CPUs and memory chips. Wang Teng acknowledged that the latest 3nm process for flagship processors this year has significantly increased manufacturing costs, coupled with the sustained rise in memory prices over the past year, reaching an all-time high. This explains the greater price increase for versions with larger memory capacities.

Reports suggest that due to the price increase for TSMC's 3nm process, the cost of producing chips like the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen4, built using this technology, has skyrocketed. The Snapdragon 8 Gen4, in particular, is now priced at $190 (approximately RMB 1354). This undoubtedly adds to the cost burden for phone manufacturers.

Over the past year, memory prices have also been on an upward trajectory. TrendForce analysts indicate that phone DRAM prices surged over 20% in the first quarter of this year. The price rise in phone memory is attributed to storage manufacturers' production cuts and renewed demand for smartphones. Notably, Huawei's new phone launch in the third quarter of last year boosted Chinese brand phone sales in the fourth quarter, leading to inventory replenishment across manufacturers in the first quarter of this year. The advent of the AI era has also further driven up memory product prices due to increased AI demand.

These combined factors have led many manufacturers to discontinue 24GB+1TB storage options, favoring 16GB+1TB instead. This indirectly reflects the pressure of rising memory costs.

As an annual flagship, the Redmi K80 series will be the first to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen4 platform, and the device will see a price increase. Additionally, the K80 series will be equipped with a 2K straight screen as standard and a battery capacity of at least 6000mAh. The new phone is expected to be officially launched in November.

While the price increase might be a source of disappointment for some consumers, considering the top-tier hardware configuration and Redmi's consistent emphasis on affordability, the K80 series is likely to continue attracting users.

In conclusion, the price increase for the Redmi K80 series is a natural consequence of the broader market environment. The rising cost of chips and memory prices are driving manufacturers to adjust their pricing. However, Redmi is expected to maintain its cost-effectiveness, striving to keep prices under control despite the increase.