The sky-high cost of RAM has claimed another victim: budget smartphones. The cofounder of Nothing company, Akis Evangelidis, recently took to X to announce that there will be no successor to last year’s popular CMF Phone 2 Pro, a credible iPhone competitor that launched for just $279 and won plaudits up and down the tech world for its design and budget-friendly pricing. 

Nor was Evangelidis shy about naming the problem: “We were working on a successor, but with memory prices where they are right now, we can’t build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF.”

If you’re totally oblivious about what he’s alluding to, check out this series of charts from PCPartPicker, detailing the rise in RAM costs over just the last 18 months. Two standout examples: a basic 2x8GB configuration of DDR4 RAM went for about $50 in January of 2025 and now sells for over $150 in June of 2026, while a more speedy 2x16GB configuration of DDR5 RAM went for under $100 in January of 2025 and today costs close to $500!

And while RAM is the most talked-about culprit behind the price spikes, solid-state storage (SSDs), the kind used in mobile phones, high-end gaming computers, and consoles, has also shot up dramatically in price, currently priced at 20 times the equivalent hard disk drive (HDD). 

The driver of these price hikes is the AI revolution currently underway across the entire tech space, as deep-pocketed companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet (parent company of Google) are projected to spend some $700-$900 billion per year on AI-related infrastructure, growing to as much as $1.6 trillion in 2031, according to reporting from Goldman Sachs. 

Unfortunately, because chip makers and RAM suppliers are seriously constrained in their production capacity, this newfound demand has created a bidding war, with budget smartphone shoppers and trillion-dollar tech companies all competing for the same finite supply of materials. The result, at least in the near term, will be not only the abolition of budget smartphones like the CMF Phone 2 Pro, but also inevitable price hikes for compute-heavy devices like smartphones, tablets, and personal computers that are already quite expensive. Apple’s outgoing CEO Tim Cook said these developments are “unavoidable.“

What is a budget-savvy shopper to do in 2026? The best solution for the time being might be to hold on to your old phone, tablet, or computer for as long as possible.

By Steven Nelson
| Published 34 seconds ago

Step into a world where action meets drama as you queue up 2017’s The Foreigner, featuring none other than the martial arts maestro, Jackie Chan. In this intense thriller, Chan sheds his typically cheerful on-screen persona to deliver a performance that’s riddled with depth, showcasing a grieving father’s relentless pursuit of justice.

Directed by Martin Campbell, the man behind iconic James Bond films, The Foreigner is a gripping tale that unfolds against a backdrop of political intrigue and explosive action sequences. If you’re ready for a side of Jackie Chan you’ve rarely seen, this film promises an exhilarating ride.

A Chilling Revenge Arc

The Foreigner, starring the legendary Jackie Chan, is a riveting action thriller that revolves around the character of Ngoc Minh Quan, a humble London-based businessman with a haunting past. Quan’s world is turned upside down when his teenage daughter, Fan, is killed in a politically-motivated terrorist bombing. Devastated by his loss, Quan embarks on a relentless pursuit of justice, vowing to bring those responsible to account.

As Quan digs deeper, he discovers that the bombing is linked to a group of rogue Irish terrorists. He targets Liam Hennessy (played by Pierce Brosnan), a government official with former ties to the terrorists, believing him to hold the key to the identities of the bombers. Quan’s quest for vengeance takes him into a shadowy world of political conspiracy, power struggles, and hidden agendas.

Quan employs his skills, honed during his time as a special forces operative in the Vietnam War, to uncover the truth. He faces numerous obstacles and challenges as he unravels a complex web of intrigue involving British and Northern Irish politics, all while Hennessy struggles to manage political tensions and maintain his own grip on power.

The film’s narrative is imbued with themes of revenge, redemption, and the moral complexities of justice. Jackie Chan delivers a poignant and compelling performance, portraying a man driven by grief, grappling with loss, and seeking closure, while Pierce Brosnan excellently embodies the role of a conflicted and morally ambiguous politician.

A Hard-Hitting Blend Of Action And Drama

The Foreigner succeeds because it balances explosive action with a surprisingly emotional story. The film keeps the tension high throughout, blending political intrigue, revenge, and suspense while giving its lead character far more depth than audiences might expect from a traditional action thriller.

Critics gave the film a mixed-to-positive reception, and it currently holds a 66 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Much of the praise centered on the lead performance, which traded familiar action-comedy beats for a more restrained and dramatic approach. While some reviewers felt the political plotlines occasionally became overly complicated, many appreciated the film’s willingness to pair hard-hitting action with genuine emotional weight.

Fans were even more receptive, embracing the combination of intense set pieces, gripping drama, and a darker, more mature tone than viewers were expecting. The result is an underrated thriller that delivers both as an action movie and as a story about grief, vengeance, and the personal cost of pursuing justice.

For anybody looking for a tense, well-crafted thriller with strong performances and plenty of action, The Foreigner remains an easy recommendation.

As of this writing, The Foreigner is streaming for free on Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, and The CW.

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 in full swing, and fans from all over the world traveling across the United States to cheer on their home teams, beloved Sesame Street character Elmo took to X in a Team USA jersey to declare his support for the American squad. 

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The explicit partisanship isn’t an accident but an inside joke. Earlier this month, as the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks battled for a championship, Elmo expressed hope for both teams to have fun.

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The social media world wasn’t having it. Knicks fans, already riled up by the intensity of the series, weren’t pleased.

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Other brands got in on the joke. The roasting continued after the Knicks won, with at least one fan dressing in an Elmo suit to hold up an apology sign at the victory parade in New York.

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Even Cookie Monster didn’t hold back, saying he would teach Elmo how to pick a team.

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As a public figure with an international audience, Elmo is definitely in a tough spot, but declaring that you love everyone while wearing your nation’s soccer uniform is probably your best shot at minimizing the fallout.