As the RAM crisis continues to bite, the first smartphone releases of 2026 are having to contend with the limited availability and rising costs of precious memory. While flagship phones appear to be weathering the storm so far, I’m starting to become a little concerned about our workhorse $500 handsets — the devices that many cost-conscious consumers actually prefer to buy.It feels strange to say it after some promising, very affordable smartphone releases in the past month. The Google Pixel 10a and Nothing Phone 4a Pro prove that great phones can be had without breaking the bank, and they have other competitors as well. But these devices were all in development and production before the RAM crunch really started to bite. They could yet prove to be the last of a species that is about to become much harder to produce.