More from RAM price hikes: the latest on the global memory shortage
You know how only one company in the entire world makes the machine that makes the world’s most advanced chips — and only three companies control the world’s supply of RAM? Reuters reports that Big Tech is trying to buy Big RAM’s favor in exchange for some of those machines, among other “unprecedented” offers.
AYN is sending emails to consumers who ordered the Ultra version of its Odin 3 Android handheld letting them know it has cancelled the configuration with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage due to a supply shortage, as spotted by Android Authority. Refunds are being offered, or a discount on the 16GB/512GB Max configuration.
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After cutting the Mac Mini’s base model, Apple is now also nixing its 32GB and 64GB RAM options, along with the 256GB RAM version of the Mac Studio. RAM prices are likely to blame, not helped by AI-driven demand for the two small Macs: both computers currently have weeks-long shipping estimates from Apple’s online store.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said during an earnings call that the company expects “significantly higher memory costs” in the upcoming quarter. He added that Apple will “look at a range of options” to address the global shortage.
After suspending preorders for its $1,999 Next 2 handheld because the rising cost of storage made it too expensive to build, Ayaneo says it has been ”forced to increase prices across most product lines” as a result of the RAM shortage. It has also restocked several of its best selling handhelds including the Pocket DS, but in very limited quantities.
Nvidia is launching a 12GB version of its RTX 5070 laptop GPU, to go along with the existing 8GB configuration. Nvidia’s blog post explains how this will actually help supply during the RAM shortage:
In order to maximize memory availability, we are releasing the GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop GPU 12GB configuration with 24Gb G7 memory. This gives our partners access to an additional pool of memory to complement the 16Gb G7 supply that currently ships with most GeForce GPUs. The 12GB configuration will exist alongside the current 8GB configuration, and allows our partners to bring a broader range of GeForce RTX 5070 laptops to consumers.
The dual-screen Zenbook Duo I reviewed in January was said to cost $2,399.99 with an Intel Core Ultra X9 388H. Now preorders are open, but a base model costs $2,499.99 and the 388H configuration I tested will be $2,699.99. Ouch.
We reached out to Asus for the reason, but company reps did not immediately reply. Seems like RAMageddon claims another.
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Asus Zenbook Duo (2026) review: twice as nice — for a price
With the next batch of pre-orders, the Thor Max model with 1TB of storage is getting a $100 price hike to $549, according to a Discord announcement.
AYN is also switching from UFS 4.0 storage to the slower UFS 3.1 storage starting with the next pre-orders of the Thor and the AYN Odin 3 because “UFS 4.0 is no longer available at a sustainable level.”
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