Will New Chipsets Make Android Smartphone Prices Even More Expensive?

The prices of future Android smartphones have the potential to become even more expensive. The reason is not only the scarcity of RAM and storage that has been occurring since late 2025, but also the increasing price of the latest chipsets set to be released this year.

Reports regarding the surging prices of new chipsets have recently emerged from leaks circulating on the internet. These leaks reveal that Qualcomm, a global semiconductor company, will likely set a price of more than 300 USD (approximately IDR 5.2 million) for smartphone vendors wishing to power their devices with the next-generation mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.

This price is significantly higher than last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. According to gadget leaker Abhishek Yadav, the price of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 was around 240-280 USD (approximately IDR 4.2 million - 4.9 million). However, when compared to the Snapdragon Gen 1, which was priced at around 120 USD (approximately IDR 2.1 million), the increase is more than double.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is rumoured to arrive in two models: a standard version and a Pro version with even higher performance. The Pro model is reportedly designed with 2nm fabrication, accompanied by a faster GPU, high-end RAM, and a larger cache. Meanwhile, the standard version will likely feature slightly lower performance than the Pro model, with a less powerful GPU and LPDDR5X RAM.

The standard model could be used for flagship phones, while the Pro version could power the highest-tier flagships, such as the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra or other flagship devices from brands like Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Clearly, if these leaks are accurate, the prices of upcoming premium smartphones are likely to become even more expensive.