Counterpoint: AI-driven memory price surge to cut annual sub-$200 phone shipments by over 230 million units by 2030 (reported)

Verified (fact)

Market research firm Counterpoint Research projected that annual shipments of smartphones priced under $200 (about 280,000 won) will fall by about 40% between 2025 and 2030, a decline of more than 230 million units. It cited higher component costs as memory chip prices surge on AI demand. In contrast, it expects the premium segment to keep growing.

Why it matters (interpretation)

As AI infrastructure soaks up memory, the cost is spilling over into the consumer device market. This follows the same trend as IDC's earlier count of a 20% drop in Q3 PC shipments, and it could also affect how quickly on-device AI spreads to low-end devices.

Sources

• Press 메모리 슈퍼사이클의 역설…저가폰 2억대 이상 사라진다 Bloter

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