Rest of World: Sub-$100 Phone Shipments Fall ~60% YoY as AI Memory Demand Starves Budget Handsets

Rest of World reports Q2 2026 sub-$100 smartphone shipments fell nearly 60% year-over-year, with new models priced ~25% higher as memory makers divert supply to AI data centers. Price hikes hit 21% in India, 19% across Asia-Pacific and 18% in MEA versus 5% in the US; Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo have 'drastically reduced' entry-level lines, pushing entry devices to ~44% of monthly income for the poorest 20%.