Huawei raises nova16 phone prices by up to 400 yuan; Xiaomi 17 Ultra up 1,000 yuan

Huawei raised the prices of its nova16 smartphone series from midnight on October 9, 2026, Jiemian reported, citing Huawei's offline stores. The suggested retail price of the nova16 and nova16 Pro rose by 400 yuan and that of the nova16 SE by 200 yuan, and channel pickup prices were raised at the same time. CLS carried the report, and IT Home said Huawei's official website showed the higher prices for some versions. Jiemian said Huawei had not officially responded. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

After the change, the nova16 costs 3,399 yuan with 256GB and 3,899 yuan with 512GB, the nova16 Pro 4,299 and 4,799 yuan, and the nova16 SE 2,899 and 3,399 yuan, according to Jiemian. On the same day Xiaomi raised prices across its 17 Ultra range by 1,000 yuan: the standard version now starts at 7,999 yuan instead of 6,999 yuan, and the Leica edition at 8,999 yuan instead of 7,999 yuan. Prices on Xiaomi's official website have been adjusted. [ 1 , 2 ]

Jiemian said this is Huawei's second price change in a little over a month, after it raised Mate 80 series prices by 800 to 1,000 yuan on September 1. Unlike that round, this one falls in the mid-range price band. On September 1 Xiaomi, Honor, OPPO and vivo also raised prices, with the Xiaomi 17 series up 200 to 500 yuan and the Honor Magic8 up 300 to 500 yuan; OPPO and vivo had adjusted prices of models on sale since March. [ 1 ]

Yu Chengdong (余承东), Huawei executive director and chairman of its device business group, told international media on September 29 that memory component prices had risen sharply, adding more than 200 US dollars to the hardware cost of each phone, with a larger increase for Huawei because its phones carry more memory. "We raise prices very slowly and try to absorb costs ourselves," he said, according to Jiemian, adding that Huawei's overall profit margin had fallen sharply and it would have to raise product prices. IT Home put the 200 dollars at about 1,343 yuan. [ 1 , 3 ]

Jiemian said memory chip prices are the direct cause, as demand for AI computing takes up storage capacity and manufacturers such as Samsung and SK Hynix prioritise high-margin products such as HBM. It cited market research data showing DRAM contract prices rose about 90% quarter on quarter in the first quarter of 2026, and that memory's share of a phone's bill of materials has risen from about 10% to 30-40%, overtaking the processor. The industry expects the cycle to last at least through 2026 and 2027, Jiemian said. Yu also said low-end competition will come under further pressure and makers will lean toward mid- and high-end markets. [ 1 ]