- Apple is expecting a price hike for the upcoming iPhone 18 series due to surging memory costs.
- This comes as imminent even with the unparallel supply chain advantage, separate contracts, and hefty pre-orders that Apple usually secured with its suppliers as the costs is unbearable.
- Luckily, Apple will keep the pricing for 256GB variants across iPhone 18 Series (likely) the same that should attract more buyers than the Pro series.
Apple enthusiasts may soon feel the heat of rising memory costs as the upcoming iPhone 18 series price hike is imminent. This comes from various reputable sources, including JPMorgan and Citi, further establishing that it will likely turn out to be true.
Apple’s iPhone 18 price hike is imminent, no matter what
Upcoming Apple A20 and A20 Pro chipsets are estimated to cost $280 per unit because of increased DRAM and NAND flash costs, as well as Apple’s move to switch to TSMC’s 2nm N2 process. For context, current iPhones use A19 series chipsets that attract a much lower price tag per unit.
Tipster yeux1122 cited various publications, including Citi, JPMorgan, and Bank of America, pointing out how Apple could introduce expensive versions of the iPhone 18 series where even Apple’s supply chain advantage fails to offset rising memory costs.
Apple made attempts amid surging memory chips, but it didn’t work
According to Wccftech, the Cupertino giant sent its team of executives to negotiate DRAM deals with Samsung and SK Hynix. However, the current cost of 12GB LPDDR5X memory is expected to fetch a price tag of $70, as opposed to $25 to $29 per unit cost at the start of 2025—that’s a 230% surge in pricing. Samsung is likely to take a major chunk of the orders, at around 60-70%, making it the largest supplier for DRAM modules.
Apple can either use its separate contracts or supply chain advantage, among other countermeasures, to offset rising costs; however, it seems there will still be some iPhone 18 series price hike (around $50 to $100), which is imminent.
Surprisingly, Apple would still shield entry-level 256GB variants of iPhone 18 models from any price hikes. In fact, the standard iPhone 18 is speculated to be priced the same as the iPhone 17, and that’s good news. On the other hand, the higher 512GB and 1TB variants of these models will attract price hikes, evidently. It means either the entry-level iPhones will be popular or people might choose to skip over the version, although that remains to be seen.
Rising memory costs are cornering smartphone makers
Apple isn’t the only smartphone maker struggling to keep calm with the rising memory costs. There are Samsung and Xiaomi, among others, facing the wrath as well. Both memory shortage and exponential demand from AI companies have pushed memory prices through the roof, and there seems to be no stopping for at least two years.
Paul Meeks, MD at Freedom Capital Markets, was quoted as saying that the rising cost of memory components is so much that even a company the size of Apple is not being spared from its effects.
Apple iPhone 18 series launch schedule
The iPhone 18 series is expected to arrive in September 2027, and based on previous reports, the Cupertino giant will opt for a dual-launch strategy. It means the Apple iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold would arrive during the fall schedule, while the vanilla iPhone 18 and 18 Plus/Air (or if Apple chooses any other moniker) will be launched in spring of 2027.
Apple is expected to bring certain upgrades in the iPhone 18 series, such as A20 Pro chips on the Pro models, variable aperture, and an updated front design to include a hole-shaped cutout. The biggest of them all is the partnership with Google to power future iPhones with Gemini AI, with some exclusive features reserved for the Pro series.
