32-Inch TVs Set to Disappear as Prices Prepare for Massive Surge
32-inch televisions are potentially set to become the hardest hit by the global surge in memory component prices. This situation could make budget TVs increasingly expensive and even lead to their gradual disappearance from the market.
The rise in memory component prices, which has already been felt in streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV, Walmart, and Amazon Fire TV Stick, is now spreading to other electronic products. TVs and soundbars are expected to be affected as they also utilise memory components.
However, the impact on televisions is not immediately visible in the market. Television manufacturers typically have longer supply contracts, meaning price increases take longer to reflect in retail prices.
Surging Production Costs for Budget TVs
Data from analyst firm Omdium shows that the greatest pressure is occurring within the budget TV segment. In a second-quarter 2026 update, the cost of audio and video processing boards in 32-inch HD smart TVs has surged drastically to 37% of total production costs, a sharp increase from 13% the previous year, as reported by Pocketlint on Wednesday (2/9/2026).
Similar increases are being experienced by larger-sized TVs:
Google Smart TV 55-inch UHD: Mainboard cost contribution rose from 12% to 31%.
75-inch UHD models: The cost proportion increased from 8% to 20%.
The core issue is that memory requirements do not increase alongside screen size. According to Omdia models, memory configurations remain identical—specifically 2 GB DDR and 16 GB eMMC—for both 32-inch TVs and much larger models.
When memory chip prices triple, the additional nominal cost is relatively similar for both small and large TVs. However, the impact is far more devastating for budget TVs because these components represent a much larger portion of the overall production cost.
Market Shifts and Impact on Consumers
Observing this trend, Omdia suggests that manufacturers need to shift towards larger, premium products to mitigate the proportion of memory costs. Consequently, budget TVs priced at around US$79 (approximately Rp1.2 million) are becoming the products that most rapidly lose their economic appeal.
This financial pressure has already reached negotiations between manufacturers and retailers in the United States:
March 2026: Several retailers began agreeing to manufacturer requests to raise prices, with an obligation to provide 60-90 days’ notice.
April 2026: Manufacturers requested that retailers share the burden of rising memory costs.
Omdia estimates that the total production cost for assembling a TV has now increased by 30% to 50%, and could potentially be even higher.
Nevertheless, the full impact is not yet visible on retail shelves as several retailers are still clearing old stock through promotional pricing. Walmart, for instance, was still offering a TCL Roku 85-inch TV for US$498 and a TCL Google TV 98-inch for US$998 during a May 2026 promotion.
However, once old stock and discount programmes are exhausted, consumers will inevitably face 2026 TV models carrying significantly higher price tags.
Ultimately, 32-inch TVs are among the products most vulnerable to being pushed out of the market. This is not due to a decline in screen quality, but rather because the surge in memory component prices is driving production costs for budget TVs beyond sustainable levels.