iPhone 18 series launching soon, Apple likely to surprise with pricing

We have all heard about the rising RAM prices, thanks to the demand from AI data centres. Now, as per reports, it seems that Apple cannot stay immune to this hike either. 

The Cupertino giant is reportedly set to pay higher prices to buy RAM from its suppliers for the iPhone 18 series. Though it seems that Apple may try to shield the consumer from this increase, at least to begin with. 

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple negotiates memory prices with suppliers on a quarterly basis, and the second quarter of 2026 is set to see price increases similar to the first quarter. Estimates suggest that this increase to be around 10 to 25 per cent compared to last year. However, the Cupertino giant is reportedly making efforts to keep iPhone 18 prices stable for consumers.

Apple may take a hit in margins to keep iPhone 18 price steady

The iPhone 18 series is still in the works, with three new devices likely headed for a launch later this year – the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the rumoured iPhone fold. As per Kuo, Apple may be willing to take a hit on its margins in a bid to gain market share. The analyst wrote on X, “Apple’s playbook is clear: use the market chaos to their advantage—secure the chips, absorb the costs, and grab more market share. They’ll make it back later on the services side.”

What will be the price of the iPhone 18 series?

The report suggests that the iPhone 18 series may retain the same price as the iPhone 17 series. The vanilla iPhone 17 was launched at Rs 82,900 in India, with the iPhone Air starting at Rs 1,19,900. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at Rs 1,34,900, while the top-of-the-line iPhone 17 Pro Max was priced at Rs 1,49,900. As such, we can expect the iPhone 18 series to start at similar prices.

Do note that the base iPhone 18 and the next-generation iPhone Air are expected to be released in early 2027.

Why is Apple facing pricing dilemma for the iPhone 18 series?

According to ZDNet, major memory suppliers have negotiated big price hikes for LPDDR supplied to Apple in the first quarter of 2026. Samsung Electronics reportedly pushed for a quarter-on-quarter increase of over 80 per cent, while SK hynix sought a hike of around 100 per cent. Apple is among the largest LPDDR customers. The company is estimated to have shipped 250 million iPhones last year alone. But with tighter supply and industry-wide demand, it has been less able to resist the general upward trends.

LPDDR RAM is a form of DRAM optimised for greater power efficiency, and is a critical component in smartphones and other high-end tech.

This demand has been largely driven by AI data centres that are purchasing more RAM for compute. Companies such as Microsoft and Google have even sent executives to South Korea to secure RAM supplies during this period of high demand.

Source: India Today
--Agencies