In summary:
- Oppo and OnePlus are raising smartphone prices in China starting March 16, with OnePlus 16 facing a significant 25% price hike due to AI industry growth and memory component costs.
- Tech Advisor reports that Samsung’s Galaxy S26 and Xiaomi have already indicated price increases, suggesting industry-wide cost pressures affecting multiple manufacturers.
- The price hikes affect OnePlus’s entire lineup including the OnePlus 15, plus Oppo’s A and K series, with potential UK market impacts under review.
Oppo and OnePlus will raise the prices of their existing smartphone lines over the coming days in at least one major market.
We’re well aware that smartphones are getting more expensive in 2026. To be fair to manufacturers, they haven’t kept quiet on the challenges posed by the AI boom and its effect on memory component pricing.
However, Oppo has just issued a statement that has come as something of a surprise.
Over on its official storefront (via GizmoChina), the Chinese manufacturer has announced a “price adjustment” for some of its already released products, as well as for all OnePlus phones, “in order to continue to ensure excellent product quality and user experience”.
These price rises will commence in China from 16 March. For Oppo itself, this will only involve its cheaper phones in the Oppo A series and K series. The likes of the Oppo Find X9 Pro (pictured above) and the Oppo Reno 13 Pro won’t be included.
It seems all OnePlus phones, including the OnePlus 15, will receive a price bump.
Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd
Price rises outside of China?
We’ve reached out to Oppo to establish whether this price rise will be applied to Oppo and OnePlus phones sold in the UK.
At the time of writing, all the company would say is that “The supply chain capacity and cost pressures driven by the growth of the AI industry represent a shared structural challenge for all smartphone manufacturers”, which is rather stating the obvious.
We’ll update this story should we hear or spot anything more specific about its plans for smartphone pricing in the UK market.
Oppo’s move follows on from claims last week that the OnePlus 16 is set for a massive 25% price hike in China.
Elsewhere, Samsung raised its prices for the Galaxy S26 range, despite the phones offering minimal upgrades on their Samsung Galaxy S25 predecessors.
The Xiaomi 17 series is priced the same as the Xiaomi 15 before it here in the UK, but the company previously warned that price rises were on the way.
All of which prompts us to repeat our advice: if you’re thinking of buying a new smartphone in 2026, don’t wait around. Things are only going to get more expensive.
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.