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If you’re shopping for a budget Android phone in Ghana — something under $200 (around GHS 2,220 at April 2026 rates) — you should know prices are about to go up. And it’s not because of new features or better specs. It’s because Samsung, one of the world’s biggest memory chip makers, just stopped taking orders for the cheap RAM chips that power most affordable phones.
Here’s what’s happening and what it means for your next phone purchase.
What Samsung RAM decision means for budget phones
Samsung has ended production of LPDDR4 and LPDDR4X RAM — older memory chips that most budget Android phones still use. These chips are slower and less power-efficient than newer versions, but they’re cheap, which is why phone makers put them in entry-level devices.
Now Samsung wants to use that factory space to make newer, more expensive RAM (LPDDR5 and LPDDR5X) for flagship phones and AI data centers, where profit margins are much higher.
The problem? Budget phone makers have few good options left. They can either switch to the pricier new RAM — which will raise phone prices — or keep using the old chips from shrinking supplies, which will also push costs up as availability tightens.
How this affects phone prices in Ghana
According to industry research firm Counterpoint, RAM already accounts for a bigger chunk of costs in budget phones. In early 2025, LPDDR4X RAM made up about 13% of a cheap phone’s cost. By early 2026, that jumped to 26%. It’s projected to hit 35% by mid-2026.
When one of your key components doubles in cost share within a year, something has to give. Phone makers will either raise prices, cut other specs (like camera quality or storage), or both.
For Ghanaian shoppers, that could mean paying GHS 200–400 more for the same class of phone you’d have bought last year. Or settling for a phone with a weaker processor or less storage to keep the price down.
Which phones in Ghana will be affected
Most ultra-budget phones — the ones sold by smaller brands at mobile phone shops in Accra, Kumasi, and other cities — still rely on LPDDR4 RAM. Even some mid-range devices from brands like Nothing and some Samsung Galaxy A-series models have used it recently to keep costs low.
Samsung’s own budget Exynos chips, which power some phones sold in Ghana, still support the older RAM standard. Those chips will now need to either support the newer, pricier RAM or risk being phased out themselves.
Even flagship phones aren’t safe
If you’re thinking of skipping the budget tier and going mid-range or flagship, don’t assume you’re safe. The newer LPDDR5 RAM that powers higher-end phones has also shot up in price. It now accounts for 20–23% of a mid-tier or premium phone’s cost, up from under 7% a year ago.
That’s a huge increase. It means even phones in the GHS 4,000–7,000 range could see price hikes or spec cuts in other areas.
What you should do
If you’re planning to buy a budget Android phone in the next few months, act soon. Prices are climbing, and the older stock with affordable RAM won’t last forever.
If you can stretch your budget slightly, look for phones that already use LPDDR5 RAM. They’re more future-proof and less likely to see dramatic price swings as supply stabilizes (though that won’t happen until 2027 at the earliest).
And if you’re holding an older phone that still works, this might be a good year to keep it a bit longer.
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