Placing a piece of technology in the hands of a consumer is the final stage of a process that might have begun months ago.
After all, a smartphone only looks that way when it reaches the stores. It began life as a bunch of materials shipped from numerous different countries.
These lengthy journeys (Apple assembles most of its phones in China, for example, nearly 8,000 miles away from the UK) naturally come with potential problems, some of which have been making the news.
Shortages
A few years back, a surge in the popularity of crypto mining meant that PC graphics cards were in short supply, causing prices to increase dramatically.
Statista claimed that a GTX 1080 Ti climbed in price from around $700 to $1,200 between November 2017 and January 2018 – an increase of 71%. It took until July before the crypto mining boom ran its course, dumping prices back to the RRP.
While the latter incident could rightly be considered an anomaly, the hardware market hasn’t followed expectations for a while.
For example, as of December 2025, Sony is unable to meet demand for the PS5. The Metro newspaper reports that the Japanese company could see shortages until 2028, and has resorted to extending support for the PS5’s predecessor, the PS4, to keep sales ticking over.
It goes on. The iPhone 17 Pro Max had a ten-day delay attached to it in November. Similarly, Tom’s Hardware raised concerns about the stock of portable media like SSDs, SD cards, and flash drives. So, what’s going on?
The short answer is that the frenzied pursuit of AI is leading to chip shortages, specifically DRAM and NAND Flash. A Taiwanese maker of tech, Transcend, reportedly hasn’t had a delivery of chips since October.
Offers and Sales
Inevitably, supply problems get passed onto customers, which is why research company TrendForce is predicting an expensive 2026 for customers.
A piece on the company’s news blog at the beginning of December reported on a 15-20% increase in the price of Dell products, as well as a price promise from Lenovo that expires in January.
In the wake of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there’s a feeling that offers and sales might become more important to both consumers and sellers next year.
Plenty of tech-adjacent industries, like gaming, already rely on promotions to stand out in a crowded market. These don’t have to mean slashed prices.
Gaming operators favour ‘gifts with purchase’, like a £100 casino sign-up bonus for newcomers. Random treats, and even leaderboards that reward dedicated players provide an incentive for customers to make a purchase.
Apple already offers something similar – three months of Apple TV with any product purchased from the webstore.
A Global Slowdown
TrendForce lists a number of conditions that could make tech more expensive next year. These include a slowing demand for smartphones (a 2% cut) and notebooks (2.4% down), and a 5-7% hit to the cost of “entry-level” smartphones. Overall, experts are predicting a global slowdown in economic growth in 2026.
The January sales might provide the only option for people holding out for a lower price on electronics in the New Year.