Why Are Security Camera Prices Going Up in 2026? It's Not Just Tariffs

Yes, security camera prices are climbing in 2026 — and the main driver isn't tariffs, it's a global shortage of memory chips. Camera makers including Fujifilm have already raised US and European prices since September 2026, and Samsung has warned the memory squeeze behind it will keep pushing electronics prices up through the rest of the year. If you already own a spare phone, there's a way to get a working security camera today without paying for any of it.

Why Are Security Camera Prices Going Up in 2026?

The short answer is DRAM — the memory chips used in nearly every camera, phone, and laptop. Chipmakers have been shifting production capacity toward the high-bandwidth memory used in AI data centers, which pays far more per chip than the conventional memory used in consumer electronics. That's tightened supply everywhere else. Samsung has told partners that "there's going to be issues around semiconductor supplies, and it's going to affect everyone, not just Samsung," according to comments reported by Network World in 2026. The same report cites a Gartner forecast of a 47% rise in DRAM prices in 2026 alone.

The numbers behind that forecast are already visible on store shelves. A basic 32GB DDR5 memory module reportedly jumped from $149 to $239 — a 60% increase — in a single month in September 2026, per the same Network World report. Contract pricing for the same memory has more than doubled versus early 2025 levels.

A basic memory module's price rose 60% in a single month in 2026.

What Did Fujifilm's September Price Hike Actually Show?

Fujifilm gave the clearest real-world example. Effective September 1, 2026, the company raised prices on multiple camera models — including the X100VI, X-T50, X-S20, X-E5, and GFX100 II — by roughly 6% to 11%, according to a detailed model-by-model breakdown from Fuji Rumors, September 2026. Fujifilm attributed the increase directly to "rising costs in the semiconductor market as well as higher production costs" — not to tariffs. Sony has confirmed similar pressure, revising manufacturer shipping prices on some products in Japan from September 1, 2026, citing rising raw-material and manufacturing costs, according to Imaging Resource, 2026. Canon has so far only warned that rising DRAM costs could affect future pricing, without confirming a specific increase, per Digital Camera World, 2026.

Security cameras use the same categories of memory and image-processing chips as standalone cameras, so the same cost pressure applies. Camera brands that build in a physical device — rather than software running on hardware you already own — don't have a way around it.

Is This Just Cameras, or Every Gadget?

It's industry-wide. SK Hynix, one of the world's three major memory makers, told investors its 2026 memory capacity was already sold out amid AI-driven demand, and posted record revenue in 2026 as DRAM and NAND prices climbed sharply, according to Blocks & Files' reporting on SK Hynix's 2026 results. Tariffs on imported electronics components add a separate layer of cost on top of that, but the memory shortage is the piece manufacturers themselves are pointing to first.

How Long Will Higher Prices Last?

Longer than one product cycle. Samsung's next major memory production line, at Pyeongtaek, isn't expected to reach mass production until 2028, per the same Network World reporting — meaning the supply constraint behind these price increases isn't a short-term blip that clears up next quarter.

What Can You Do Instead of Buying a New Camera Right Now?

The most direct way to avoid the price increase is to not buy new hardware at all. A phone already sitting in a drawer has a camera, a microphone, a screen, and a network connection — everything a security camera needs — and it isn't subject to a chip shortage because it's already built. Apps like iCameraPlus turn a phone you already own into a 24/7 security camera, with continuous recording to a private cloud archive you can browse from the web, live view from a web panel, remote start and stop, audio and video, and screen dimming so the phone isn't glowing all night — on both iOS and Android.

For placement and setup basics once you've got a spare phone ready, see our guide to turning a phone into a home security camera.

3-4 things to remember

• Chips, not tariffs, are the main driver
• Fujifilm already raised prices in September
• Shortage likely runs past 2026
• A spare phone sidesteps it entirely

Quick answers

Will security camera prices go back down soon? Not according to current supply timelines. Samsung's next major memory plant isn't due for mass production until 2028, and Gartner's 2026 forecast already assumes a 47% DRAM price rise for the year, so most analysts expect the pressure to persist into 2027.

Does this affect brands like Ring, Nest, and Arlo too? It should, to varying degrees — any camera with onboard memory and processing chips is exposed to the same DRAM and component cost increases affecting Fujifilm, Sony, and Canon. Individual brands may absorb costs differently or for longer before passing them to shoppers.

Is a repurposed old phone really a substitute for a new camera? For continuous recording and remote viewing of your own property, a spare phone with an app like iCameraPlus covers the core job — you're using hardware and a camera sensor you already paid for, just pointed at a new task.

Sources

• Network World: "Samsung warns of memory shortages driving industry-wide price surge in 2026" (2026)
• Fuji Rumors: "Fujifilm Is Raising Prices in September — Here's Every Camera Affected" (2026)
• Imaging Resource: "Sony to Increase Prices of Cinema Cameras in September in Japan" (2026)
• Digital Camera World: "Will rising DRAM costs affect camera prices? What Canon is predicting for 2026" (2026)
• Blocks & Files: "SK Hynix memory, NAND revenues explode as prices rocket" (2026)