55%
Plausible
Apple is getting close to using up its existing DRAM supply, which only means that from that point on, it’ll be forced to cough up hefty premiums for future shipments, drastically nullifying its ability to keep a price hike at bay when launching the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, the company is also feeling the same price pressure elsewhere, and surprisingly, it’s due to bringing a unique camera upgrade later this year.
The variable aperture camera arriving to the iPhone 18 Pro could be 50 percent more expensive, predicts analyst
Aside from mentioning that the iPhone 21 could feature a major ultrawide-angle camera upgrade, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has stated that the iPhone 18 Pro’s and iPhone 18 Pro Max’s variable aperture camera will be a costly addition, as it’ll be 50 percent more expensive than the 7P plastic lens Apple employs in the iPhone 17 Pro.
Sunny Optical is expected to supply its customer with 40-50 percent of total orders, hinting that it’ll monetarily benefit from this partnership. The price increase of the variable aperture camera may also explain why other manufacturers haven’t adopted the technology in droves, with only Samsung bringing it in its older-generation Galaxy S flagships, then dropping the hardware altogether.
Then again, it’s possible that the technology Samsung brought to the Galaxy S9 was just an introductory version since there were only two modes to choose from. With Apple bringing this upgrade almost eight years later, we shouldn’t be surprised to see some top-notch advancements, such as enabling multiple aperture modes for manual photography and videography capture, being the bare minimum.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will also be Apple’s first to ship with the A20 Pro, the company’s first 2nm chipset mass produced by TSMC, which could cost $280 apiece. From a Bill Of Materials (BOM) perspective, the Cupertino firm is being pressed from all sides, making it extremely difficult to avoid a price hike. At the very least, we could see buyers paying $100 extra for both flagships, but they’ll still get their money’s worth.
News Source: Ming-Chi Kuo
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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