There’s an uncomfortable reality that tech buyers are slowly being forced to accept. Products are getting expensive even when the hardware itself is not worth it.

We’ve been talking about rising component costs for a while now, especially memory. RAM prices, in particular, have become a recurring headache for manufacturers and consumers alike. And sooner or later, its effect is set to show on store shelves.

Guess what? That buffer period is over now.

Not long after reports surfaced that Samsung may raise its smartphone prices, several Xiaomi products quietly became more expensive in mainland China. The increases range from 100 to 200 yuan, depending on the model.

The affected models

The price hike affects the Xiaomi Pad 8 series as well as every configuration of the Redmi Pad 2. The base Xiaomi Pad 8 now starts at 2,299 yuan, up from 2,199 yuan. Meanwhile, the higher-end Pad 8 Pro has seen its starting price climb from 2,799 yuan to 2,899 yuan.

The entry-level Redmi Pad 2 has been hit the hardest, with all models increasing in price by 200 yuan. It now starts at 1199 yuan.

According to industry analysts, the sudden adjustment is largely driven by the continued surge in memory and storage chip prices. 

Xiaomi president Lu Weibing previously warned that storage costs had risen far beyond expectations, and a recent TrendForce report predicts another significant increase in storage prices in the first quarter of 2026.

A major factor behind the trend is the rapid expansion of the AI industry. DRAM production capacity is increasingly being redirected toward data centers, creating a supply-and-demand imbalance for chips used in traditional consumer electronics. 

Those cost pressures are now rippling through the supply chain, and Xiaomi’s tablet price increases offer a small but telling example of how the industry is absorbing the shock.

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The post Xiaomi increases tablet prices by up to 20%, and the reason is obvious appeared first on Gizmochina.