Due to soaring memory prices, the component costs for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro model are expected to be approximately 38% higher than the previous generation.
In recent years, the increasing demand for AI has driven up memory prices, and the prices of consumer devices such as PCs and smartphones continue to rise. Technology media outlet TrendForce has suggested that the 256GB model of the iPhone 18 Pro, scheduled to be released in September 2026, will have component costs that are approximately 38% higher than the previous generation iPhone 17 Pro, making a rise in market price unavoidable.
iPhone 18 Pro BOM Cost Expected to Surge Nearly 40%, Leaving Apple to Sacrifice Margins to Sustain Shipments, Says TrendForce
iPhone 18 Pro Ships with 12GB RAM; Base iPhone 18 Misses Apple AI Tier
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/323751/20260810/iphone-18-pro-ships-12gb-ram-base-iphone-18-misses-apple-ai-tier.htm
Apple has shifted its release strategy from 'every fall' to 'every fall and spring,' and it is expected that the iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max and the foldable ' iPhone Ultra ' will be announced at the product launch event in September 2026.
In recent years, the soaring price of memory due to the AI boom has become a global problem, and this is expected to significantly increase the price of the iPhone 18 Pro. TechTimes, a technology media outlet, points out that major memory manufacturers such as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron are shifting their manufacturing capacity from consumer memory to high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which forms the core of AI accelerators.
HBM is said to generate 3 to 5 times higher revenue per manufacturing wafer compared to the low-power LPDDR5X memory used in iPhones. According to Micron , for every additional HBM wafer shipped for AI accelerators, the number of conventional DRAM wafers shipped decreases by 3.
As a result, the cost of 12GB of memory was $39 (approximately 6,200 yen) for the iPhone 17 Pro, but it is estimated that the same capacity will cost $145 (approximately 23,100 yen) for the iPhone 18 Pro. Apple CEO Tim Cook described the surge in memory prices as a ' once-in-a-century flood .' Analysts and CEOs of technology companies believe that this disruption caused by the memory supply shortage will continue from the fourth quarter of 2027 through 2030.
TrendForce predicts that due to soaring memory prices, the 256GB model of the iPhone 18 Pro, scheduled for release in the third quarter of 2026, will have component costs approximately 38% higher than the iPhone 17 Pro, which will be released in 2025. The proportion of memory in the total component cost is also rising rapidly, from about 10% in 2025 to about 34% in the third quarter of 2026, and is expected to exceed 40% in the first half of 2027.
TechTimes predicts that the iPhone 18 Pro will be priced between $1,299 and $1,369 (approximately ¥207,000 to ¥218,200), which is $200 to $270 (approximately ¥31,900 to ¥43,000) higher than the previous model. The final selling price will depend on whether Apple directly passes on the increased component costs to consumers or absorbs some of the cost increase by lowering its profit margins.
According to TrendForce, Apple prioritized maintaining market share with the MacBook Neo , released in March 2026, by sacrificing some profit margins to keep prices down. Despite this, MacBook Neo sales were very strong, with the Mac division recording a 29% increase in sales in the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 (April-June) compared to the same period last year. TrendForce predicts that Apple is likely to employ a similar strategy with the iPhone 18 Pro.
Although Apple has not yet raised iPhone prices worldwide as of the time of writing, they did just do so in Japan in July 2026.
Apple raises prices in Japan for iPhone, Apple Music, Apple One, and now iCloud+ - GIGAZINE
On September 1st, Tim Cook, who has served as Apple's CEO for many years, will step down, and John Turnus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, is scheduled to take over as CEO. Therefore, the product launch event in September is expected to be Turnus's first keynote address.
Apple CEO Tim Cook steps down to become Chairman of the Board; John Turnus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, appointed as new CEO - GIGAZINE
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in Hardware, Smartphone, Posted by log1h_ik