Your Next Phone Costs More, Apple Delays Its Glasses, and AI's Money Loop Gets Weird

Heads up: your next phone is about to cost more, and AI is the reason. The datacenter boom is eating the world's memory supply — Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron are shipping DRAM to server farms first, and the price of 1GB of RAM has jumped from about $2.80 in 2025 to roughly $12 in 2026. In India, 8+ brands have already raised prices by ~₹1,500 on average (some up to ₹5,000+), IDC expects average phone prices up ~14% this year, and sub-₹15k phones are quietly disappearing. 📉 Honest take: if you need a phone in the next few months, buying now is genuinely the smart move — this squeeze runs into 2027.

The problem

Memory (RAM and storage) is one of the biggest costs inside a phone, especially in budget and mid-range models where it can be 40-90% of the bill of materials. When memory gets expensive, cheap phones are the first casualties.

What changed

The AI datacenter boom has diverted DRAM and NAND supply to servers, sending prices soaring — 1GB of RAM went from ~$2.80 (2025) to ~$12 (2026), a roughly sixfold jump. Google's own devices VP confirmed the entire Pixel lineup will see price adjustments, and in India 8+ brands have already hiked prices by an average of ₹1,500. IDC expects average retail smartphone prices up ~14% in 2026.

The catch

This isn't a one-off. Suppliers are expected to keep prioritising AI chips into mid-2027, so prices are unlikely to snap back soon. And more RAM on the spec sheet won't necessarily be worth the higher premium — well-optimised software matters more than a bigger number.

What it means for you

If you actually need a new phone in the next few months, buying sooner rather than later is the smart move. If you can wait, hold your current phone longer — and don't overpay just to chase a higher RAM figure.

Apple has reportedly pushed its smart glasses to 2027, and privacy is a big reason why. Per Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the teams building them treat privacy as priority No. 1 — Apple is even considering camera-free versions, or glasses with a camera that literally can't capture photos or video, plus anti-tampering measures on the recording indicator light. 🔒 My take: in a world of always-on face cameras, 'we'd rather ship late than creepy' is actually the right call, even if it means Meta gets a head start.

The problem

Camera-equipped smart glasses are a privacy minefield — people around you can't tell when they're being recorded, which is exactly what made earlier face-camera products so toxic socially.

What changed

Apple has reportedly delayed its smart-glasses reveal to WWDC 2027 (with a release later that year), citing privacy as priority No. 1. It's weighing camera-free versions, or a camera that can't take photos/video, plus protections like disabling recording if the indicator light is tampered with.

The catch

This is a report (via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman), not an Apple announcement, so timelines can shift. And a delay hands Meta and others a longer head start in a category Apple is now clearly behind in.

What it means for you

If you were waiting on Apple glasses, don't hold your breath before 2027. The upside: whatever ships is likely to be far more privacy-conscious than today's face-camera wearables.

A Chrome trick that makes you look organised for zero effort: highlight any text on a webpage, right-click, and choose 'Copy Link to Highlight'. 📎 The link you get opens the page and automatically scrolls to and highlights that exact sentence for whoever you send it to — perfect for sharing 'this exact line' from a long article, doc, or terms page instead of saying 'scroll down to the part about…'. Works on desktop Chrome (and Edge). Try it once and you'll use it forever. ⚡️

The problem

Sharing a link to a long page dumps the reader at the top and forces them to Ctrl+F for the one line you actually meant — clunky and easy to misread.

What changed

Chrome's 'Copy Link to Highlight' (Link to Text Fragment) generates a special URL that opens the page, auto-scrolls to your selected text, and highlights it. Just select text, right-click, and pick it — no extension needed. It also works in Edge.

The catch

It's a Chromium feature, so the recipient sees the auto-scroll and highlight best in Chrome/Edge; on some other browsers the link still opens the page but may not jump. Very long or frequently-changing pages can occasionally fail to match.

What it means for you

Next time you share an article or a policy page, highlight the exact sentence, right-click, Copy Link to Highlight — the person you send it to lands on the right line instantly.

eSIM vs physical SIM — which should you actually use in 2026? Pick eSIM if you travel (buy a local data plan in seconds), want two numbers on one phone, or want theft protection — a thief can't yank out an eSIM to dodge tracking. ✈️ Stick with a physical SIM if you swap phones often, lend a SIM to a backup device, or don't want a carrier interaction every time you change handsets. Reality check: most 2026 flagships are going eSIM-first anyway, and Indian carriers now activate eSIMs in minutes. My verdict: eSIM for most people, physical if you're a frequent phone-swapper.

The problem

People treat SIM type as an afterthought, then get stuck — locked into a plan abroad, unable to quickly move their number to a spare phone, or surprised their new flagship has no SIM tray at all.

What changed

eSIM has matured: instant remote activation, dual-number support on one device, and a real security edge (it can't be physically removed to defeat find-my-phone tracking). Physical SIMs still win on effortless phone-swapping and broad support on cheaper handsets. Many 2026 flagships are shipping eSIM-only.

The catch

eSIM support is still patchy on budget phones and with some smaller carriers, and moving an eSIM between devices can mean a re-activation step. Physical SIMs remain the more universal option for now.

What it means for you

For most people — especially travellers — eSIM is the better default in 2026. If you regularly hop between phones or lend your SIM to a backup device, keep a physical SIM.