Mobile powerhouses Xiaomi and Realme both announced Android smartphones with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of onboard storage in April for 2,599 Yuans (less than $400); the GT Neo5 SE and the Redmi Note 12 Turbo.
The components used (LPDDR5x and UFS 3.1) are paired - in both cases - with a powerful Snapdragon system-on-a-chip, showing that these handsets mean business. The cutthroat competition in the mobile market, particularly in China, combined with a depressed NAND market, make producing and selling such devices for well under $1000 possible.
