Apple does not plan to raise iPhone 18 prices despite rising DRAM costs

In 2026, smartphone manufacturers, including Apple, will face a shortage of DRAM memory. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the company is already paying more for components but plans to keep the starting price of the iPhone 18 at the level of the previous model.

What is known

Memory prices have risen by 10–25% compared to 2025. Apple reviews terms with suppliers quarterly, and the next increase is expected in the second quarter of 2026. Despite this, the company maintains contracts for stable supply volumes.

The increase in component costs will affect device margins. Apple has previously covered some costs itself — particularly when launching the iPhone 17 in 2025. The base model then remained priced at $800, while the iPhone 17 Pro became more expensive due to the increase in minimum storage capacity to 256 GB.

Apple may separately comment on the memory supply situation during the quarterly report on January 30. Besides memory, a shortage of other components is possible in the coming months. The reason is the high demand from server manufacturers for artificial intelligence, which use advanced types of LPDDR and NAND memory.

Source: Ming-Chi Kuo