Google just raised the price of its "budget" Pixel 10a by $100 to $599, seven months after launch, and the only thing that changed is what comes out of your wallet.

This is the inflation the establishment swore was transitory, showing up at the checkout screen. A Google vice president, Shakil Barkat, said RAM prices climbed from $2.80 per gigabyte to $12, citing Morgan Stanley data, as TNW reported. DDR5 prices in Germany surged 414% in a year. Memory now accounts for roughly half the parts cost of a budget Android phone — up from about 15% before the shortage. Who eats that difference? Not Google. Not Apple. Not Samsung. You do.

The phone itself hasn't changed. Same Tensor G4 chip, already two generations behind the silicon in the Pixel 11. 9to5Google called the device a "well-rounded experience" at $499, but acknowledged a $100 jump "certainly makes that a tougher conversation" for a mid-ranger running outdated silicon.

Google isn't alone in passing the bill to you. Apple raised prices on older iPhones already sitting on shelves last month. Samsung followed this week, lifting prices by $100 across most of the Galaxy S26 range. The practice has spread from new launches to stock already in shops — you pay more for the same hardware you could have bought cheaper last week.

9to5Google noted that Google had previously warned price increases would hit "in-market Pixel phones," so this wasn't a surprise to them. It was a surprise to you.

Here's the squeeze: Google is also cutting memory in its higher-end models rather than paying for it. The Pixel 11 Pro dropped from 16GB to 12GB at the 256GB tier, and the company is reworking Android to need less RAM, TNW reported. Charge more, give less. The new prices are already live on the Google Store, Amazon, and Best Buy. Google did not respond to a request for comment. European pricing remains unannounced.

The same Big Tech giants posting record margins and lobbying Washington for more H-1B visas to suppress your wages are now passing component inflation straight to your phone bill. The system isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed — just not for you.