Recently, the news of &#34;price increases across the home appliance sector starting in April&#34; has sparked widespread discussion online.
Is it a marketing gimmick or is there truth to it?
&#34;All appliances will increase in price! It's best to buy before mid-April.&#34;
This is the most frequently heard statement by reporters at the Suning.com home appliance store on Qingchun Road in Hangzhou. A wave of price increases in home appliances triggered by the Middle East conflict, AI chip shortages, and soaring copper prices has begun to surface in the stores.
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On April 3rd, a reporter from the Urban Express visited stores in Hangzhou and found that although retail prices had not yet been fully adjusted, sales personnel from several appliance brands clearly stated that price increases would take effect in mid to late April, with some categories potentially seeing increases of 10%-30%.
During a weekday afternoon at the home appliance store, there were not many customers. The reporter visited several brand stores as a consumer.
Among them, the kitchen appliance sector showed the most significant price increases, starting at 10%.
At the Boss Electric appliance counter, the sales staff candidly stated, &#34;Prices will definitely increase in April, at least 10%. Not just range hoods, all appliances and all brands will increase. If you want to buy, it's best to do so before mid-April.&#34;
A salesperson at the Fotile range hood store provided a more specific timeline: &#34;The company hasn't notified us yet, but prices should go up around May Day. Raw materials are expensive now; even plastic wrap has become more expensive!&#34; She pointed to the new models in the store and frankly said, &#34;If it's a new model launched in April or May this year, the price increase could reach 30%.&#34;
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The white goods sector is also &#34;echoing with price increases.&#34;
A salesperson from Midea Air Conditioning stated that there would be a promotional event in the mall on April 17th, &#34;Raw materials are all increasing, and manufacturers will raise prices, but the specific timing is unclear.&#34; For example, if a 2-horsepower wall-mounted air conditioner priced around 4,000 yuan increases by 10%, it will cost an additional 400 yuan.
In contrast, the response from GREE Electric seems to offer consumers a slight respite. A GREE salesperson said, &#34;Prices should not increase before April 17th. We need to finish the mall's 24th anniversary celebration first; the increase is likely to happen after the 17th.&#34;
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On April 1st, at the JD MALL in Wuhan's Optics Valley, a reporter from Changjiang Cloud News consulted as a consumer about Haier, Midea, TCL, Rongsheng, Hisense, and Changhong
Toshiba
And more than ten mainstream home appliance brands have verified the changes in terminal prices. On the day of the interview, the terminal selling prices of all interviewed brands had not increased, although many air conditioning categories had received price adjustment notices from manufacturers, but the specific adjustment dates were unknown.
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Multiple home appliance brands recently issued price increase notices.
A salesperson from Midea air conditioners stated: &#34;Prices may need to rise because the price of copper has increased. The amount of copper used in air conditioners is relatively high.&#34; The salesperson told reporters that the industry expects an overall price increase of 10% to 15% for air conditioning categories, with new batch models implementing the new prices first.
In the television category, the price increase factors are linked to the prices of memory sticks and chips, which have previously been reported to have the most significant increases among home appliances. However, a dealer from Hisense TVs revealed that due to the brand's self-developed chips, this cost has decreased, and the offline price increase is not significant.
The reporter verified that the &#34;price increase&#34; mentioned by most brands does not refer to an official increase in product filing prices, but rather a reduction in the intensity of subsequent promotional activities. At the same time, the price adjustments show a clear differentiation: new products and new batch models have stronger price increase expectations, while the prices of older models in stock remain stable, with brands maintaining terminal sales and clearing inventory through older products.
Xiaomi mobile phones announced: Price increase!
Previously, netizens noticed that new products released by major mobile phone manufacturers after March have increased by 300 to 1000 yuan compared to last year's models in the same category. Media reports indicate that due to the tight supply of chips, the largest wave of mobile phone price increases in the past five years may be coming, with domestic phones potentially increasing by up to 2000 yuan, and the high-price cycle expected to last until 2027.
On April 3, Xiaomi announced that due to the continuous and significant rise in prices of global storage chips and other key components, after careful evaluation, it will adjust the suggested retail prices of some products on sale starting from 00:00 on April 11, 2026.
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Xiaomi Group President Lu Weibing and Xiaomi China Market Department General Manager Wei Siqi posted on Weibo.
Since the beginning of this year, as memory prices have continued to rise, multiple mobile phone brands have announced price increases one after another.
This adjustment by Xiaomi involves three models, starting from April 11, the REDMI K90 Pro Max will increase by 200 yuan; Turbo 5 and Turbo 5 Max will cancel the Spring Festival discount, with the 512G large memory continuing to subsidize 200 yuan; vivo will adjust the suggested retail prices of some products from 10:00 on March 18; OPPO will adjust the prices of some already released products starting from 00:00 on March 16, 2026, including the OPPO A series, K series, and OnePlus
Countpoint senior analyst Shenghao Bai has stated that against the backdrop of continuously rising storage prices, the increase in smartphone prices this year may be unavoidable. It is expected that the price of low-end devices will rise by $30, while some high-end flagship models may see an increase of $150 to $200.
What is driving the &#34;price surge&#34;?
Due to multiple factors such as the rise in oil prices caused by conflicts in the Middle East and the expansion of AI data centers leading to an increase in storage chip prices, the prices of raw materials required by the home appliance industry have all risen. According to data from the end of March 2026 compared to last year's average prices:
Copper (most used in air conditioning): has risen to 95,195 yuan/ton, an increase of 18.6%;
ABS plastic (for appliance casings): has skyrocketed from 8,000 yuan/ton to 15,500 yuan/ton, an increase of 51.7%;
Chips/memory: The crazy expansion of AI data centers has depleted the prices of storage chips used in home appliances, with DDR memory prices increasing tenfold.
Some large retailers have introduced a &#34;buy now, pay later&#34; price-locking strategy to alleviate customer concerns. A salesperson from Suning.com explained: &#34;If you're worried that prices might be lower during events like 618, you can buy at the promotional price on April 17 but delay picking up the goods. If you find a lower price later, the store can make up the difference; however, if you miss April and prices go up, you might really have to pay several hundred or even over a thousand yuan more for an appliance.&#34;
However, industry insiders also remind that this round of price adjustments in home appliances is a result of upstream cost pressures and not a blanket increase across the entire industry. Consumers do not need to panic and rush to buy; they should make decisions based on their own renovation and purchasing needs, rationally comparing products and promotional policies before making a choice

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Recent news about rising prices in home appliances has sparked heated discussions, with expectations that purchasing home appliances before mid-April will be the most cost-effective. Due to conflicts in the Middle East, a shortage of AI chips, and rising copper prices, sales personnel from multiple brands have indicated that home appliance prices will increase by 10%-30%. The increase in kitchen appliances is the most significant, and sales personnel recommend that consumers make purchases before mid-April. Although the terminal prices have not been fully adjusted yet, the trend of price increases has already emerged, with some brands like Midea and GREE also confirming the possibility of price hikes

腾讯新闻 - 财经

Bosera CNI Top Household Appliances ETF

Midea Group

MIDEA GROUP

GF CSI All Share Household Appliances ETF

Fullgoal CSI All Share Appliance ETF

E Fund CSI Household & Appliances Top ETF

GREE

Guotai CSI All Share Household Appliances ETF

"Almost all will rise, possibly up to 30%!" A store employee candidly stated: Buying home appliances before mid-April is the most cost-effective