One high-speed card costs over 4,000 yuan, and storage card prices have doubled! Some consumers lament, "Stock trading and gold are not as good as stocking up on cards."

“Why bother trading stocks or gold? It’s better to stock up on memory cards…” On February 25, Hongxing Capital Bureau learned from multiple digital product consumers that the prices of camera memory cards, once considered camera accessories, have surged. Most SD cards, TF cards, and CFexpress Type-B cards (hereafter referred to as “CFB cards”) have doubled in price.

Consumer Guo Chen (pseudonym) recently planned to buy a 1TB CFB high-speed card to match his new camera but found the price had already exceeded 4,000 yuan, more than double the previous price. In the end, he chose to purchase an SD card.

Other camera memory cards have also seen varying increases. A consumer who bought a TF card a week before the Spring Festival reported a price increase of over 46% in just ten days; another consumer noted that their SD card price rose from over 600 yuan to more than 1,000 yuan.

Several camera equipment shop owners also noticed this change. One shop owner said that overall, camera memory card prices have doubled, with some even rising three or four times.

Analysts believe that the surge in camera memory card prices across multiple categories is due to upstream cost transmission, structural shifts in production capacity, and resonance with end-user demand. This is not short-term speculation. It is recommended that users with urgent needs prioritize purchasing from reputable brands and capacities, while those without immediate needs can delay buying and watch the market in the second half of the year.

[Image: Photo courtesy of TuChong Creative]

Camera Memory Card Prices Doubling

Some consumers joke, “Stock trading is less profitable than stocking up on cards”

“All I knew was that computer memory prices had gone up. Recently, I bought a new camera and just realized that camera memory cards have also increased,” Guo Chen said. He planned to buy a 1TB CFB high-speed card for his new camera but found the price had risen to over 4,000 yuan, up from around 2,000-3,000 yuan previously.

Guo Chen told Hongxing Capital Bureau that most cameras come with SD cards, TF cards are usually used in action cameras and small devices, while CFB cards are used in some high-end flagship cameras.

Because the price exceeded his expectations, he decided to buy a V60-rated SD card for temporary use. “I don’t shoot much video now, so the SD card is enough. But if you want to shoot videos, I recommend CFB for its fast read/write speeds and less lag.”

Other camera memory cards have also increased in price. Guo Chen recalled that a V30 SD card he used before had risen from 118 yuan to 184 yuan.

Consumer Zhou Ming (pseudonym) also found memory cards “very expensive” after purchasing a DJI product. A week before the Spring Festival, he bought a SanDisk 256GB Gold TF card for 269 yuan, which had doubled compared to last year. After the festival, the price rose again, now costing 394 yuan.

“All I knew was that memory prices were rising. I recently bought an SD card and found it had increased so much,” said consumer Zhu Xiao (pseudonym). He also found that Lexar’s official flagship store’s 128GB V60 memory card had risen above 1,000 yuan, from just over 600 yuan before. “Why bother trading stocks or gold? It’s better to stock up on memory cards early.”

Several camera equipment shop owners also noticed this trend. Shop owner Sun Jun (pseudonym) said that camera memory card prices have risen significantly, with overall increases of two to four times. Liu Xu (pseudonym), another shop owner, also noted that the price increase is the highest among camera storage products, with some rising by as much as 60%.

Fu Yifu, a special researcher at the Shanghai Commercial Bank, pointed out that the widespread doubling of camera memory card prices across multiple categories results from upstream cost transmission, structural shifts in capacity, and end-user demand resonance. This is not short-term speculation. On one hand, supply of storage chips has contracted, with Samsung, Micron, and others planning significant reductions in NAND and DRAM production starting in 2025, leading to inventory levels at a five-year low and causing flash memory prices to surge. On the other hand, AI servers are capturing capacity, with manufacturers prioritizing advanced processes for higher-margin enterprise storage, squeezing consumer-grade memory card capacity. Additionally, combined with increased demand during the Spring Festival travel season and content creation needs, channel stockpiling has intensified scarcity, further amplifying price increases.

High Volatility, Gradual Rise

Storage Card Price Surge May Ease in the Second Half of the Year

As essential accessories for cameras, storage cards have sparked market speculation about their role in driving up camera prices.

Hongxing Capital Bureau observed that in recent years, many popular camera models have also seen continuous price increases. Consumer Zhao Min (pseudonym) recently found that a popular camera she had been watching for two years had risen from 2,000 yuan to 4,000-5,000 yuan. She placed an order but then chose to cancel the purchase, citing excessive premium.

On social media platforms, Ricoh cameras are highly sought after. The Ricoh GR series, once priced around 1,000 yuan, has now risen to 10,000 yuan. One consumer said they ordered a second-hand Ricoh GR3 (99% new) on February 13, but it has yet to be shipped.

However, Liu Xu told Hongxing Capital Bureau that the price increase of storage cards has some impact on camera prices but is not significant. “Most of the current price hikes are for popular models with CCD sensors, driven by hype, not all cameras are holding their value.” He added that a popular model sold for over 8,000 yuan last October but now costs around 6,000 yuan.

Jiang Han, senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank, said that as an essential consumable, the doubling of storage card prices significantly increases the overall ownership cost for users. This may suppress some potential demand or force consumers to lower their configurations, but it has limited impact on the overall camera retail price. Storage cards are standardized, universal accessories, not core components of the camera body, which is usually sold as a bare unit. Therefore, rising memory card prices do not directly lead to higher factory prices for cameras.

Jiang Han believes that the price increase is due to capacity tightness caused by manufacturers prioritizing limited wafer capacity for higher-margin enterprise and AI-related products, passively reducing supply for consumer-grade storage.

According to the latest TrendForce report from February, the prices of DRAM and NAND flash are expected to rise by 90%-95% and 55%-60% respectively in the first quarter of 2026, with further upward revisions possible.

Regarding future trends in camera storage card prices, Jiang Han predicts a pattern of “high-level oscillation and gradual upward movement.” As manufacturers ramp up utilization and release new capacity, the rapid price increases may slow in the second half of this year. However, due to overall inflation and high-end demand, prices are unlikely to fall back to previous lows. Consumers are advised to avoid blind stockpiling and choose appropriate capacities based on actual shooting needs.

Fu Yifu also believes that the surge in AI-related demand has led storage manufacturers to prioritize advanced capacity for high-margin data center businesses, significantly constricting supply for consumer-grade memory cards. Short-term prices are likely to remain high, with chip capacity adjustments and expansion cycles making sharp declines unlikely in the first half of the year. If capacity is gradually released and demand stabilizes in the second half, prices may slowly decline. However, returning to previous low levels in the short term will be difficult. Consumers with urgent needs should prioritize reputable brands and necessary capacities, while non-urgent buyers can delay purchases and monitor the market in the coming months.

Hongxing News reporters: Yu Yao, Li Haiyan

Editor: Yu Dongmei

Reviewer: Guan Li