A major value shift is looming in South Africa’s smartphone market, and Tecno suggests shoppers could wish to contemplate upgrading sooner moderately than later. According to the tech firm, a world surge in AI is creating an unavoidable “AI tax”, which is able to more and more be mirrored within the value of shopper units.
The scale of funding pouring into AI infrastructure is reshaping the broader {hardware} panorama. Global expertise giants, together with Nvidia, AMD, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, are spending billions on AI-focused knowledge centres, fuelling extraordinary demand for superior GPUs, high-bandwidth reminiscence and modern semiconductor manufacturing capability.
“Giant tech companies overseas are currently snapping up the world’s supply of computer chips and memory parts to build massive AI data centres,” stated Tecno in a press release. “This global demand has turned standard smartphone components into premium commodities, driving manufacturing costs to record highs.”
As manufacturing capability is absorbed by AI workloads, core parts similar to processors and reminiscence modules have gotten dearer and tougher to safe, pushing up manufacturing prices throughout the cellular trade.
“As global demand for AI-capable parts soars, the cost of making your next smartphone jumps. Industry analysts predict that this AI tax could see the prices of budget-friendly smartphones rise by as much as 20% to 30% in the coming months.”
The ripple results are already exhibiting up past smartphones. In SA’s gaming market, the price of RAM has climbed by as a lot as 250% in some instances. That rise is being mirrored by increased GPU costs and rising concern about shortages, as demand from AI knowledge centres and high-performance computing competes with shopper electronics for restricted provide. When reminiscence and graphics {hardware} develop into tougher to safe and dearer to supply, producers face increased manufacturing prices throughout a number of classes, together with smartphones.
Tecno goes additional, describing the scenario as a looming “memory apocalypse”. According to the corporate, silicon wafers that might historically be allotted to smartphone manufacturing are being redirected in the direction of large-scale AI infrastructure. These AI techniques can require as much as thrice extra manufacturing capability than a normal smartphone module, successfully pushing cellular units to the again of the manufacturing queue.
Tecno goals to beat the surge
Industry knowledge exhibits that contract costs for key reminiscence parts have elevated by greater than 75% yr on yr, which is more likely to have an effect on the price of future units.
“Instead of waiting until prices go up and you’re left with the bill, Tecno is doing things differently: urging you to upgrade now to secure current-generation pricing before the market shifts.”
To assist this, the model is providing the next costs “to beat the AI tax” till the tip of January 2026 (availability varies per retailer, per retailer, per mannequin, and whereas shares final):
| Retailer | Model | Price | Saving |
| Dunns | Spark Go 2 | R1,299 | R200 |
| Edgars | Spark Go 2 | R1,199 | R300 |
| Spark 40 | R2,299 | R200 | |
| Spark 40S | R3,499 | R500 | |
| Game | Spark Go 2024 | R1,299 | R700 |
| Pop 7 | R999 | R500 | |
| Spark 20P | R2,499 | R2,500 | |
| Spark 20C | R1,799 | R1,200 | |
| HiFiCorp | Spark Go 2 | R1,299 | R200 |
| Jet | Spark 40 | R2,199 | R300 |
| Spark Go 2 | R1,299 | R200 | |
| Mr Price | Pop 7 | R1,199 | R300 |
| Spark Go 2 | R1,199 | R300 | |
| Spark 40 | R2,199 | R300 | |
| Spark Go 2S | R1,499 | R100 | |
| TFG | Spark 40 | R2,199 | R300 |
| Spark Go 2 | R1,299 | R200 |
*Jason Bannier is a knowledge analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.