Astro Malaysia has announced updated offerings for its Astro One packages, introducing lower promotional pricing alongside expanded streaming and entertainment benefits for both new and existing subscribers. If you're looking to subscribe to Astro, here's everything you need to know.

Microsoft has announced a major update to Xbox Game Pass, introducing price reductions across key tiers while making a significant change to how blockbuster titles are released on the platform. This even includes the Xbox PC Game Pass in Malaysia, which is back to RM20 per month from RM25 per month last year.

Microsoft is reportedly reassessing its subscription strategy after a leaked internal memo revealed concerns over the current pricing of Xbox Game Pass. According to the report, Xbox’s new Gaming Chief Asha Sharma acknowledged that the service has “become too expensive for players,” signalling potential changes to how Game Pass is structured and priced moving forward.

In other news relating to rising phone prices, OPPO is set to increase the prices of some of its existing smartphones following a sharp rise in global memory component costs. The adjustment will take effect starting 16 March 2026, according to a notice posted on the company’s official online store.

HONOR has hyping up its MWC 2026 showcase for a few days now. But today, the company teased the arrival of a new smartphone in Malaysia, positioning it as a device that blends high-end industrial design with accessible innovation. It is aiming to deliver a flagship-inspired experience while remaining competitively priced for the local market.

Like the other tech brands, Lenovo has warned its channel partners that prices for select commercial devices could rise in early March 2026 as global memory chip shortages continue to squeeze margins across the technology industry. The pricing update is expected to affect a range of products from Lenovo’s Intelligent Devices Group (IDG) portfolio, which includes commercial laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones.

It was only yesterday when we reported that the rising cost of memory chips may put pressure on Apple, since Samsung and SK Hynix are increasing it. However, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to that matter during the company’s latest earnings call with equity analysts.

We have been talking about this for a while; memory costs have already risen, and the global memory chip market is facing steep price increases that are reverberating across the technology sector. This is prominent in the smartphone industry, where dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) is a critical component.

The rapid rise in memory chip prices is starting to shake up more than just smartphone and PC markets; it’s now affecting gaming handheld consoles as well. Manufacturers in this niche segment are beginning to feel the strain of “skyrocketing” RAM costs, a situation that has already led to shipment delays and configuration changes for upcoming handheld devices.

Industry research firm Counterpoint Research has revised its outlook for the global smartphone market, now projecting a slight contraction in shipments in 2026. The adjustment is largely due to a sharp rise in memory chip prices, especially for DRAM (RAM) used in smartphones, as supply tightens against booming demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centres and other high-end computing sectors.