May 6, 2026
Now with 30% less wow
Shrinkflation Is Quietly Making All Gadgets Worse
Your next phone may cost more, do less, and fans are absolutely fuming
TLDR: Rising memory prices are pushing gadget makers to either raise prices or cut features, and some appear to be doing both. Commenters are split between blaming greed, lock-in tactics, and simple supply problems, but they agree buyers are getting a worse deal.
The big panic in the comments is simple: why are gadgets getting more expensive while somehow feeling cheaper? Gizmodo points to rising memory chip prices as the villain, with companies like Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix chasing the lucrative artificial intelligence boom instead of keeping everyday phones and laptops affordable. The result, according to leaked rumors, could be a Pixel 11 Pro Fold with less memory than last year’s model, while repair-friendly laptop maker Framework is openly charging more because parts now cost more.
But the real fireworks are in the reactions. One commenter basically declared the golden age over, saying we already squeezed every last drop of improvement out of modern products and now it’s all downhill: worse devices, more work, less value. Another went full scorched earth on Google, accusing it of locking down Android so people are pushed into buying new, worse phones anyway. And then came the darkest joke of the thread: “Shrinkflation meets AIflation”—a future where your pricier gadget is packed with more buggy robot nonsense and less actual usefulness.
Not everyone agreed on the label, though. One holdout argued this isn’t really “shrinkflation” at all, but plain old supply and demand. That did little to calm the mood. The vibe was clear: readers think they’re being asked to pay premium prices for diet gadgets, and they are not laughing... except when they absolutely are.
Key Points
- •The article says rising memory costs are making gadgets more expensive and, in some cases, reducing their specifications.
- •It attributes part of the pressure to SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron prioritizing HBM production for AI datacenters.
- •A cited leak claims the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold may drop to 12GB of RAM from the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's 16GB.
- •The article says Google's Pixel 10a offered no clear upgrade over the Pixel 9a despite keeping the same $500 price.
- •Framework has repeatedly raised RAM module prices, and the article says its Framework Laptop 13 Pro is more expensive partly because of LPDDR5X RAM and M.2 SSD costs.