- Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro models could arrive later this year with similar price tags as iPhone 17 Pro.
- Apple could buffer or absorb the cost citing its supplier negotiations with Samsung and SK Hynix as well as other component suppliers.
- This is interesting given the surging memory AI chips triggering ripple effects across smartphone makers.
Although we are still more than half a year early, discussions around Apple iPhone 18 Pro prices have become mainstream, given the insane price hikes on memory and storage chips around the world.
Turns out, the Cupertino-based giant could buffer the cost of these components, meaning both iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max prices are likely to remain the same as their predecessors. Now this actually undercuts what we earlier reported, and we can’t be happier to be wrong, at least this time.
Apple could absorb surging memory supply to keep iPhone 18 Pro prices stable
According to Jeff Pu, cited by MacRumors, a prominent figure in the Apple community and an equity analyst with investment firm GF Securities, Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max prices are likely to be the same as the iPhone 17 Pro series.
Pu further mentions Apple is focusing on cost management as an attempt to keep the price tags on at least the entry-level variants of the Pro models unchanged. If not, we could expect prices at a ‘similar level,’ which is better than expecting a giant price hike.
For perspective, iPhone 17 Pro retails for $1,099 in the US, and the Pro Max retails for $1,199. It is safe to assume that iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be priced at approximately $1,099 and $1,199, respectively. However, if I were you, I would still keep a buffer of $50 to $100 on the aforementioned price tags, given Apple is unable to control the exorbitant surge in memory prices.
Apple is leveraging its supplier contracts and supply chain with Samsung and SK Hynix with favorable memory chip deals that might work. However, on the other hand, it is also true that there has been an insane hike in DRAM and NAND storage prices across the globe.
Earlier, we reported how a 2nm wafer (that would ultimately become Apple’s 2nm A20/A20 Pro chipset) costs approximately $30,000 compared to a 3nm wafer (Apple’s 3nm A19 Pro) at $20,000, which gives the magnitude of price jumps.
It is quite evident that it’s not just Apple (given its ginormous size) suffering from the fallout of surging chip prices. Nevertheless, it appears Apple is in talks to negotiate unit costs on other iPhone components, such as the display, cameras, etc., in order to absorb as much of the costs as possible, if not all.
iPhone 18 Pro series launch timeline
For now, I would say expect flat and unchanged price tags on entry storage variants of both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max launching this September. For the unversed, Apple will be launching the Pro models and iPhone Fold at the fall event, while the vanilla iPhone 18 series is expected to arrive later next year.
