TECH NEWS – Yet the price of one essential component for Apple’s smartphones has risen by an even greater margin!

Dealing with the DRAM shortage is undoubtedly one of Apple’s biggest challenges because a large portion of its revenue comes from iPhone sales growth. According to the latest estimates, the Cupertino-based tech giant will raise the prices of the two iPhone 18 Pro models by 10–20 percent. This may prompt loyal customers to protest, but they may be even more upset when they find out how much Apple pays for DRAM alone. Market research firm TrendForce estimates that memory costs will have risen by 400% by the third quarter of 2026 compared to a year ago. Although Apple continues to negotiate lower prices, it seems futile as major DRAM manufacturers are not willing to make concessions given their drastically changed financial goals.

Despite paying a 400% premium for LPDDR5X RAM chips, Apple is implementing only a 10–20% price increase for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. This suggests that Apple has absorbed some of the exorbitant costs associated with procuring the component wholesale. While Apple typically does not pass savings on to customers, this time the company may have had no other choice.

In addition to unveiling the A20 Pro, which is reportedly Apple’s first 2-nanometer chipset used in an iPhone, the company will have to pay a significant amount for LPDDR5X RAM. According to a previous report, Apple will use the new WMCM (Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module) packaging to increase the memory bus width to 96 bits instead of purchasing LPDDR6 RAM. This way, Apple increases memory bandwidth and avoids paying extra for the newer memory standard.

To maintain its iPhone profits, Apple will need to increase the price of the base model iPhone 18 Pro by $270. The company’s decision will be revealed at the Surprise and Shine event scheduled for September 9.

Source: WCCFTech, TrendForce