LPDDR4X is supplying tightening and pushing up prices, and smart phone industry is accelerating the introduction of LPDDR5X

TrendForce latest research, the original Korean and American memory manufacturers will significantly reduce or stop supplying LPDDR4X from 2025 to 2026. However, the chip specifications of the supporting mobile phone processor fail to synchronously support LPDDR5X, resulting in a gap in supply and demand. In order to avoid supply gaps affecting production, the brand's expansion of the purchase of LPDDR4X is the main reason for the increase in the price of this wave of contract. After mainstream suppliers reduce production of old-generation products, LPDDR4X supply has become an inevitable trend. It is estimated that this wave will continue until at least the beginning of next year, and it will not be comfortable after the brand expands its adoption of LPDDR5X.

Although memory products and processes continue to change, low-level smart phone processors mostly stop processing updates and only support LPDDR4X; although some medium and low-level processor chips can support LPDDR4X and LPDDR5X at the same time, based on price considerations, and the Chinese memory factory has the advantage of its ability to join the supply, coupled with government support, leading to the former being preferred by brand manufacturers in the past. Nowadays, the supply of LPDDR4X is limited, and the brand is the first to test the LPDDR5X for convertible products, but large and low-level products such as 4G processor chips. Although the brand wants to convert to LPDDR5X, due to the limitations of processor matching, the initial transfer space is quite limited, and it needs to upgrade the industry to large-scale developments such as 5G.

TrendForce said that based on the total mobile DRAM output bits this year, LPDDR4X is still about 42%, and the remaining one is LPDDR5X. However, the recent surge in demand for LPDDR4X in the mobile phone market, coupled with the 2026 bit output, which has reached double-digit percentage this year, has increased the supply and demand imbalance, resulting in price continued to rise, and the price difference between the third quarter and the LPDDR5X has also closed rapidly, and prices even reversed in the next few quarters. In 2026, the supply of LPDDR5X is gradually increasing, and the contract price is expected to be better than that of old-generation products, becoming another driving force for end customers to turn to LPDDR5X, in order to accelerate the verification of LPDDR5X or industry upgrades, etc. to reduce the dependence on LPDDR4X.

TrendForce analyzed that the price of LPDDR4X has risen recently, and the end brands' medium and low-level products have suffered heavy cost pressure and are even forced to withdraw from the low-price market. In order to meet the challenges of LPDDR4X supply and profit, the brand must adjust the final product sales price and market layout, and it is not ruled out that it affects the sales performance of smart phones.