Seoul, Nov. 12 -- Rising memory costs are pushing budget smartphone manufacturers toward recycled memory chips, while Samsung Electronics relies on its production scale to maintain market share, according to a news report by The Korea Herald.

The news report stated that recycled, or "reballed," memory could be used in 7 to 9 per cent of smartphones shipped in 2027, up from an estimated 3 to 4 per cent this year. Most of these components are 4GB LPDDR4X chips, an older standard still common in entry-level phones. Some brands reportedly buy them through gray-market recycling channels and install them without telling buyers in basic 4G smartphones priced below 1,299 yuan (USD 190) in China.

Counterpoint Research analyst Jan Stryjak reporte...