Ubiquiti Adds Memory Surcharge of Up to 5.8% on Store Products
Ubiquiti is now line-itemizing the memory crunch. Here's what its new Memory Surcharge covers, why it appeared, and what it signals for networking buyers.
By Uniqcli Team · · 4 min read
Ubiquiti began applying a "Memory Surcharge" of up to 5.8% to select products purchased through its official online store, effective April 24, 2026 (HotHardware, quoting Ubiquiti's own surcharge notice, April 2026). The charge is broken out as its own explicit line item rather than folded into a blanket price increase, giving buyers unusual visibility into exactly what is driving the change.
What the surcharge says
In its own notice, Ubiquiti attributes the charge to "the ongoing volatility in global memory and storage markets" and states the company "continue[s] to absorb a portion of these costs" rather than passing the full increase through (HotHardware, April 2026). That framing matters: Ubiquiti is presenting the surcharge as partial cost relief for the company, not full cost recovery — which suggests buyers should not assume 5.8% is a ceiling that holds indefinitely if memory pricing keeps moving.
A moving SKU list, not a flat rate
The up-to-5.8% figure is a range, not a flat percentage, and it applies to "select products" rather than the full store catalog (HotHardware, April 2026). Downstream reseller Streakwave separately posted an updated version of Ubiquiti's surcharge list effective July 1, 2026 — a little over two months after the original April 24 notice — indicating the affected SKUs and amounts are already being revised (buyer angle drawn from HotHardware's April 2026 reporting). Buyers should treat any surcharge figure they see today as a snapshot, not a fixed number, and confirm current SKU-level amounts at time of quote rather than budgeting off a static percentage.
Why now: the root cause is upstream
Ubiquiti's move lines up with a broader supply-side shift reported across the networking industry. DRAM lead times for larger orders have extended beyond 40 weeks as of late 2025/2026, up from roughly 25 weeks in mid-2025, with pricing guidance pointing to a 30-60% uplift over the January 2026 baseline expected through the first half of 2026 (SHI Resource Hub, 2026, reported). SHI's reporting attributes the shift to Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron reallocating fab capacity toward AI and HBM memory production — a structural change in where memory manufacturing capacity goes, not a temporary component shortage. That reporting notes Arista, Extreme, Netgear, TP-Link, and Ubiquiti are all named as affected vendors.
What it signals for the rest of the market
Ubiquiti line-itemizing a memory surcharge, rather than baking the cost into a standard price increase, is a distinct move worth watching. It gives buyers unusual visibility into exactly what's driving a specific price change on a specific SKU — but it also means the number can move independently of, and more frequently than, a vendor's normal price-list cadence. According to SHI's reported analysis, this cost pressure is expected to persist through at least the first half of 2026, with no clear relief signaled before 2027-2028 (SHI Resource Hub, 2026, reported).
What to do before the window closes
- Get current, SKU-level Ubiquiti pricing at time of quote — do not rely on a cached 5.8% figure; Streakwave's July 1, 2026 update shows the list has already shifted once.
- Build extra lead time into networking refresh RFQs — DRAM lead times for larger orders are reported beyond 40 weeks as of 2026 (SHI Resource Hub, reported).
- Budget for continued volatility through H1 2026 rather than a one-time bump, per SHI's reported 30-60% DRAM price uplift guidance.
- Confirm whether a specific Ubiquiti product is on the surcharged list before finalizing a purchase order — the surcharge applies to select products only, not the full catalog.
Is the Ubiquiti Memory Surcharge confirmed by Ubiquiti itself?
Yes. The 5.8% figure, the April 24, 2026 effective date, and the stated rationale come directly from Ubiquiti's own surcharge notice, as quoted by HotHardware in its April 2026 reporting. That part of the story is vendor-confirmed.
Does the surcharge apply to every Ubiquiti product?
No. Ubiquiti describes it as applying to "select products" on its official online store, up to 5.8%. The exact SKU list has already been updated once, per a downstream reseller (Streakwave) posting a revised list effective July 1, 2026.
Is the DRAM lead-time and pricing data confirmed by the vendors named?
No — that data is reported by SHI's Resource Hub, not confirmed directly by Arista, Extreme, Netgear, TP-Link, or Ubiquiti. It should be read as industry reporting and reflects SHI's analysis of the memory market, not vendor statements.
How long is this expected to last?
SHI's reported guidance points to continued DRAM price pressure through the first half of 2026, with no clear relief signaled before 2027-2028. That is a reported projection, not a vendor commitment from any of the named manufacturers or networking vendors.
Sources and status
Ubiquiti Memory Surcharge (up to 5.8%, effective April 24, 2026, stated rationale of memory/storage market volatility, partial cost absorption): sourced from HotHardware, April 2026, quoting Ubiquiti's own surcharge notice — vendor-confirmed. Streakwave's updated surcharge list effective July 1, 2026: referenced within HotHardware's April 2026 reporting as a downstream reseller update — reported. DRAM lead times exceeding 40 weeks (up from roughly 25 weeks mid-2025) and projected 30-60% DRAM pricing uplift over the January 2026 baseline through H1 2026, with Samsung/SK hynix/Micron fab capacity shifting toward AI/HBM memory, and Arista/Extreme/Netgear/TP-Link/Ubiquiti named as affected: sourced from SHI Resource Hub, 2026 — reported, not vendor-confirmed by the named manufacturers or networking vendors.
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