The cost of buying a smartphone has increased compared with the same period last year, with the steepest changes affecting high-end devices. The trend extends beyond newly launched products to previous generations.
Premium smartphones keep getting more expensive
Apple has been among the clearest examples of the upward trend. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, each with 256GB of storage, are listed at VND 39 million and VND 42 million respectively, up VND 4 million from their predecessors.
The iPhone Duo has set a new price benchmark, with a starting price of VND 65 million. The top-end version, with 2TB of storage, costs as much as VND 104 million.
The price increases have also spread to older models. Since mid-September, Apple has raised prices by VND 2-5 million across the iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17 ranges, both on its online store and through authorised retailers.
Even the iPhone 17e, positioned as a more affordable model, has risen to VND 22 million. As a result, every new, officially distributed iPhone model in Vietnam now starts at VND 20 million or more.
Several retailers told Dantri/Dtinews that the higher entry-level prices had created a significant financial barrier for mainstream consumers.
Samsung followed suit in early October. All versions of the Galaxy S26 series have risen by VND 4 million compared with their launch prices in March.
The increases are not limited to Vietnam: Samsung has introduced similar price rises in several other international markets. Raising Galaxy S26 prices months after launch is considered unusual and reflects the cost pressures facing the company.
Chinese smartphone makers such as OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi have also expanded their presence in Vietnam’s premium segment. Since early 2026, the brands have introduced a succession of high-end models to the market.
Some are priced at up to VND 50 million, exceeding the prices of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The arrival of Android phones at these price levels has helped establish a new benchmark for Vietnam’s premium smartphone market.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is priced markedly higher than its predecessor (Photo: Doan Thuy).
Why prices are rising
The main driver of the widespread price increases is a severe global shortage of memory chips. Supplies of DRAM and NAND have become increasingly scarce, sending component costs sharply higher.
According to Counterpoint Research, smartphone memory chip prices rose by more than 80 per cent in the second quarter compared with the previous quarter. Year on year, the cost of memory components increased by as much as 200 per cent.
The surge has fundamentally altered manufacturers’ bill of materials (BoM), the breakdown of the component costs involved in producing a device.