India, Feb. 20 -- TrendForce's latest smartphone industry research predicts that soaring memory prices are set to weigh heavily on global smartphone production in 2026.

Total output is forecast to decline 10% YoY to approximately 1.135 billion units. With memory prices showing no clear signs of easing, the growing gap between higher retail prices and consumer price tolerance is expected to further dampen end demand.

Under a bear-case scenario, TrendForce warns that the annual contraction in global smartphone production could widen to 15% or more. The extent of the impact, however, will vary by brand, depending on differences in product mix and regional exposure.

Taking a mainstream 8GB + 256GB memory configuration as an example, estima...