Xiaomi Boss Reveals the Price to Pay Due to RAM Crisis

KOMPAS.com - Xiaomi President Lu Weibing has detailed the price differential for RAM that the company must now pay following the recent memory chip crisis sweeping the industry. The global memory crisis was triggered by the massive development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

According to Weibing, Xiaomi now has to pay a price difference of 1,500 yuan (approximately Rp 3.7 million) for the 12 GB/512 GB RAM and storage package, compared to the first quarter of 2025.

In short, Xiaomi’s expenditure on RAM with that configuration in the early first quarter of 2026 will be 1,500 yuan more expensive than in the same quarter the previous year.

Weibing shared this explanation in a post on the social media platform Weibo. The price for the 16 GB/1 TB RAM/storage package is even higher, though specific details were not disclosed.

“The recent surge in memory prices has been far beyond expectations, with a fourfold increase compared to the first quarter of last year,” Weibing stated on Weibo.

Based on Weibing’s statement, the price for the same package is around 2,000 yuan (approximately Rp 4.9 million). This is nearly equivalent to the price of a lower mid-range smartphone.

For Xiaomi, the RAM price surge has the most impact on the Redmi brand, as it focuses on affordable pricing. As a result, phones from this Xiaomi sub-brand are experiencing increases.

For example, the Redmi K90 Pro Max will see a price rise on 11 April 2026, with an increase of 200 yuan (approximately Rp 497,000).

Xiaomi will also cancel the ongoing price promotions for the Redmi Turbo 5 and Turbo 5 Max in China.

It should be noted that these price adjustments apply only to the Chinese market, which is known to have the thinnest profit margins for the Redmi lineup.

KompasTekno observations in early April 2026 show that several Xiaomi smartphones in Indonesia have experienced increases at the start of April 2026.

The increases apply not only to Xiaomi-branded phones but also to its sub-brands, such as Redmi and Poco. The price differences vary, ranging from Rp 200,000 to as high as Rp 1 million.

According to Xiaomi Indonesia’s Marketing Director Andi Renreng, product pricing is influenced by various factors, so the company conducts periodic reviews to ensure the value delivered continues to reflect the quality and innovation of the products.