Google’s affordable Pixel just became a lot less affordable. The Pixel 10a now starts at $599 in the U.S., a nasty $100 increase over its previous $499 asking price. The 256GB version has received the same treatment, climbing from $599 to $699.
Google has not officially explained the Pixel 10a hike yet, but the move is hardly coming out of nowhere. Earlier this year, the company warned that a severe, supplier-driven memory crisis would eventually affect Pixel phones already on sale.
Google warned us this could happen
When the Pixel 10a launched in March, its $499 starting price was a big part of the appeal. It gave buyers a cheaper route into Google’s smartphone ecosystem without jumping to the flagship Pixel lineup. That value proposition has taken a pretty significant hit overnight. Google’s own hardware leadership previously pointed to an unprecedented rise in memory prices, saying the company had absorbed those increases for as long as it could before passing some of the pain onto customers.
The problem extends well beyond Google. Samsung just raised prices across its Galaxy S26 lineup, with most configurations getting a $100 increase and the 1TB Galaxy S26 Ultra jumping by $200. Rising memory and storage costs were also at the center of Samsung’s warnings. The timing also puts a question mark over the upcoming Pixel 11a. Google’s next affordable phone has already leaked ahead of a possible spring launch, but with the current model getting a price hike, the question is how much Google will charge for the next generation.
Waiting probably won’t make things cheaper
Unfortunately, anyone hoping this is a short-lived problem may be disappointed. Micron says it has already sold most of its 2027 memory output, and buyers next year are expected to pay considerably more than they did in 2026.
Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra expects demand to continue exceeding supply through 2027 and 2028, with conditions potentially getting worse before they improve. The company is building new factories, but even those are not expected to bring immediate relief once production begins. AI hardware is soaking up huge amounts of memory capacity, leaving consumer electronics fighting over what remains. So if you are planning to buy a new device or upgrade an old one, it’s better to do it now than wait and get slapped with another potential price hike.
