General Mobile Deputy General Manager Responsible for Strategy and Business Development İlkay Cihaner made statements about possible price increases in the smartphone market. Cihaner stated that current global supply chain issues will directly affect phone prices in Türkiye at the end of the year.

The basis of the cost increases in the sector is the disruptions in the supply of a critical issue used in chip production. Helium gas is used as an indispensable component in the cleaning process of wafers in chip production.

Supply Chain and Cost Pressure

The failure of the production facility in Qatar, which supplies approximately one-third of the world’s helium supply, created a significant supply gap on a global scale. The department currently has a helium stock of approximately 6 months, and as these stocks run out, significant difficulties are expected in chip production.

In addition to the helium crisis, there is also a significant increase in the prices of memory used in smartphones. It is stated that memory costs increased from 5 dollars to 50 dollars in some segments, and generally there was a 2-3 times increase.

At this stage, manufacturers are trying to balance prices by using lower-cost old stocks. However, as these stocks run out, it becomes inevitable that new and high-cost components will be reflected in the prices.

Price Increase Expectation

In the light of all this information, İlkay Cihaner made a valuable prediction about phone prices in the Turkish market. Cihaner announced that he expects phone prices at the end of 2026 to increase by 40 percent compared to 2025.

The global chip crisis and the direct reflection of increasing component costs on the consumer are considered as the harbinger of a new era in the technology market. Despite producers’ efforts to manage cost pressure, market conditions are expected to be decisive on prices.

How do you think this expected increase in smartphone prices will affect users’ device renewal preferences?