60%
Plausible
Apple already introduced a price hike to the iPhone 17 models, but those who skipped this generation to prepare for the iPhone 18 launch later this year may have to deepen their pockets, because rising DRAM and NAND flash costs mean they’ll have to pay more for the Cupertino firm’s upcoming flagship lineup. Thankfully, according to an investment, customers are only expected to fork over a higher sum for the increased capacity variants, with the base storage models expected to be retained at last year’s price.
Lower capacity iPhone 18 models could become the best-selling versions, as a previous analysis states that DRAM will now account for 20 percent of a smartphone’s manufacturing cost
With Apple’s A20 and A20 Pro estimated to cost $280 per unit due to shifting to TSMC’s 2nm N2 technology this year, even the company’s in-house chipsets might be unable to offset the increasing DRAM and NAND flash costs caused by the ongoing memory crisis. As a result, Apple is expected to introduce more expensive versions of the iPhone 18 series, with yeux1122’s blog stating that Citi, Bank of America, and JPMorgan all commented that the California-based giant’s supply chain advantage isn’t going to aid it on this occasion.
It appears that Apple’s plan of sending executives overseas to book long-term hotel stays to secure DRAM deals with Samsung and SK hynix was not fruitful, with the price of each 12GB LPDDR5X memory module estimated to cost $70, resulting in a 230 percent premium compared to the $25-$29 price that Apple was paying during the start of 2025. Naturally, the company has prepared countermeasures to help lower the hike as much as possible, with Samsung said to become the iPhone 17’s and iPhone 18’s biggest DRAM supplier, accounting for between 60-70 percent of all shipments.
Assuming the $50-$100 price hike is imminent, the base iPhone 18 models could become the most popular variants in Apple’s entire lineup, as we will reiterate that these handsets aren’t expected to become expensive. Another advantage for the company here is that it raised the starting storage to 256GB for the iPhone 17 family, giving more freedom to users when installing a bevy of applications, games, and media. While the 512GB storage versions will be the sweet spot, we strongly believe that the 256GB models will command the highest shipments.
News Source: yeux1122’s blog
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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