SMRTR AIMay 21, 2026Hacker News

AI is killing the cheap smartphone

SMRTR summary

AI's massive demand for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) is squeezing the supply of cheaper memory chips used in smartphones, driving prices up 220–250%. Budget phones that once sold for $50 now cost $120+, collapsing smartphone shipments by 20%+ in Africa and the Middle East, and pricing out millions of the world's poorest people.

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