Amazon raised prices across much of its hardware lineup over the weekend, with some devices jumping by as much as 60 percent in a single move. The increases hit Fire TVs, Echo speakers, Kindles, and eero routers, according to price tracking data from CamelCamelCamel.
The Echo Dot, one of Amazon's most affordable smart speakers, climbed from $49.99 to $79.99 overnight, a 60 percent increase that stands as the most dramatic example cited. Amazon quietly raised prices on nearly all of the devices it manufactures, including the Echo Dot, Kindle Paperwhite, and Fire TV Stick HD, with the largest hikes hitting its least expensive electronics.
Amazon attributed the move to rising component costs. A company spokesperson pointed to "significant increases in memory and storage component costs," and Amazon said it absorbed those increases for as long as it could before adjusting pricing across product lines.
The company also said it would continue offering occasional promotions over the next year.
The price changes extend beyond the United States. Amazon raised recommended list prices for much of its hardware in Germany effective Monday, affecting Kindle e-readers, Fire TV Sticks, the Fire TV Cube, Echo speakers, and eero routers.
In a notable wrinkle, some German listings show a higher list price while checkout prices remain unchanged, with the Fire TV Stick HD advertised at 26.99 euros as 58 percent off.
The hikes come amid what CNET describes as "RAMageddon," a period of climbing memory prices driven by manufacturers shifting production capacity toward data centers. The global memory shortage, fueled by the AI boom, is pushing up production costs across the device industry, and companies are increasingly passing those costs to customers.
Amazon is not alone in raising prices. Roku, a direct competitor to Amazon's Fire TV streaming products, increased its prices by up to 60 percent just last month.
Apple also recently hiked prices and introduced a device leasing program to help customers spread out the cost.
The timing is rough for shoppers. Some third-party retailers are still holding the old prices, with the Echo Dot available for $49 at Target and Home Depot.
But those deals may not last, and the broader trend points to continued pressure on consumer electronics pricing.
The RAM shortage is expected to continue through 2027 before prices potentially crest and stabilize in 2028. For now, price tracking data from CamelCamelCamel shows the stark uptick across its hardware lineup, reinforcing that it's a difficult moment to buy new devices.
