The memory shortage crisis has already hit smartphones, and you’ll soon see the domino effect reach other consumer electronics products, including televisions (and possibly other home appliances too).
At CES 2026, Samsung co-CEO TM Roh told Reuters that “no company is immune” to the global memory chip shortage. Given that Samsung’s smart TVs, especially the high-end models, use quite a bit of memory, the increase in component costs could soon be reflected in the price.
Production cuts for LCD panels are increasing cost pressure
Meanwhile, LCD panel manufacturers are also experiencing limited production (compared to demand). According to a new report from The Elec, major Chinese panel manufacturers including HKC, BOE and CSOT plan to “suspend operations at their factories next month” to “cut labor costs” and “reduce inventory burden.”
This could lead to a reduction in the number of panels leaving the production line. The decline in LCD panel supply (3.8%) is more than twice the decline in overall demand (1.8%), which could lead to a tight period for the panel market in the first quarter of 2026.
Aggressive stockpiling of components such as memory and displays by smartphone and TV manufacturers could be another reason for an inevitable price increase. While this advance purchasing may help cushion prices and stabilize production in the short term, manufacturers could be forced to enter a tighter market once inventory runs out.
This could increase production a few months into 2026, if not January, and ultimately push prices for finished TVs above current levels. A recent report from TrendForce suggests that “TV panel prices are expected to rise in January,” with the cost of 32-inch, 43-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch panels “increasing by $1.”
Although it may sound negligible, the report mentions that TV panel prices will “enter an upward trend” from the first quarter of 2026 and that February’s product cuts “could further drive LCD monitor prices.” Given that LCD panels still account for around 95% of global TV shipments, even a small increase in panel costs could have an impact on the entire industry, across all price segments and regional markets.
From the sounds of it, the long-running era of ever-cheaper TVs may be nearing a temporary pause. Due to factors such as rising storage costs, planned production cuts and the fact that manufacturers are stocking more pre-built inventory, cost pressures in the supply chain are not immediately visible, but they are certainly increasing.
Yes, TV prices may not rise overnight, but if component constraints persist after the first quarter, companies could pass on the higher manufacturing costs to customers through a small price increase. We’ll get more clarity on this when the wave of new TVs from companies like Samsung and LG – announced at CES 2026 – hits the market in a few months.
