Google, Samsung and Nvidia raise prices on budget devices as memory costs climb

Google raised the price of its Pixel 10a by $100 to $599 on October 2, and Bloomberg tied the move to rising memory costs. The phone launched at $499 in March; the 256GB model now costs $699, and the new prices have already reached Amazon and Best Buy, according to 9to5Google. Google did not spell out the reason in the coverage we reviewed, so the memory link rests on Bloomberg's reporting.

Samsung raised US prices across its Galaxy A lineup the same day. Per 9to5Google, the Galaxy A57 rose from $549 to $599 (128GB) and from $609 to $679 (256GB), the A37 from $449 to $489 (128GB) and from $539 to $609 (256GB), the A27 from $349 to $379, and the A17 from $249 to $269. The A17 launched at $199 in January, so this is its second major hike. Engadget said both Samsung and Google are raising prices "likely due to the RAM crisis"; Samsung did not give a reason in that coverage.

Nvidia, meanwhile, raised the seven-year-old Shield TV Pro by $100 to $299.99 and ended production of the base Shield TV. Unlike the phone makers, Nvidia gave a reason, telling 9to5Google that "the cost of components, including memory, has increased substantially across the industry." The hike follows earlier increases on other streamers, including the Google TV Streamer, now $149, and the Apple TV 4K.

For GOOGL and NVDA, these devices are small businesses, so the read-through is less about revenue than about how far memory inflation has spread: even budget and older hardware is being repriced. What to watch is whether more consumer device makers follow, and whether unit demand for budget phones softens at the higher price points.