RAM Price Surge Hits Gaming Handhelds: AYN Forced to Delay Flagship Model

The ongoing volatility in the global memory market is no longer just a headache for PC builders and smartphone giants; it is now actively disrupting the release schedules of niche consumer electronics. AYN, a prominent player in the Android handheld gaming space, has confirmed that shipments of its flagship Odin 3 Ultra have been delayed due to “skyrocketing” RAM prices and severe supply constraints.

The Delay: Waiting for the Top Tier

In a communication to customers, AYN revealed that the Odin 3 Ultra—a powerhouse device configured with a massive 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage—will miss its projected shipping window. Deliveries for this specific configuration have now been pushed back to mid-January 2026.

The company was transparent about the cause, citing a short-term supply crunch and a sharp increase in the cost of high-capacity memory modules as the primary drivers behind the postponement.

The Ultimatum: Wait or Downgrade?

To mitigate customer frustration, AYN is offering buyers a choice between patience and compromise. Those who have pre-ordered the Ultra model can:

1. Maintain their order and wait for the revised shipping timeline in mid-January.

2. Switch to the Odin 3 Max, the next model down in the hierarchy.

The Odin 3 Max features 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, priced at $449 (compared to the Ultra’s $519). AYN has confirmed that customers opting for the switch will be refunded the price difference.

From a performance standpoint, the concession is relatively minor for the average gamer. Both the Ultra and Max models are built on the same architecture:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite

• Display: 6-inch 120Hz OLED

• Battery: 8,000mAh

• Connectivity: Active cooling, microSD expansion, external display support.

The “downgrade” strictly impacts multitasking headroom and internal storage capacity, rather than raw gaming frame rates.

RAM Price Surge: A Symptom of a Larger Problem

While AYN is a relatively smaller player compared to giants like Samsung or Apple, this delay serves as a canary in the coal mine for the broader electronics industry entering 2026.

The situation highlights a growing tension between hardware requirements and component costs. As on-device AI features demand more memory, the cost of that memory is rising. This creates a dilemma for manufacturers: either increase retail prices to protect margins or ship devices with more conservative RAM configurations.

What is currently happening with the Odin 3 Ultra could be a preview of the challenges awaiting the next generation of flagship smartphones, where the push for 16GB and 24GB standards may collide with the economic reality of the component market.