Apple faces a potential price increase of approximately 100 dollars for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro, driven by a sharp surge in global memory component costs that could spike by nearly 400 percent for 256GB configurations by the third quarter of 2026, according to supply chain forecasts published by TrendForce.
iPhone 18 Pro Memory Costs and Price Projections
According to market analysis from TrendForce, Apple will pay significantly higher prices for memory components in the third quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The 256GB storage configuration for the iPhone 18 Pro model stands as the most exposed device in the upcoming lineup. TrendForce projects that the cost of memory required for this specific device could jump by nearly 400 percent over a one-year span.
Initial market estimations indicate that Apple may introduce a price hike of about 100 dollars for the iPhone 18 Pro compared to its predecessor. Rather than transferring the full manufacturing burden directly to buyers, Apple plans to absorb a substantial portion of the rising component expenses. Industry analysts note that an excessive retail price jump could slow down consumer upgrade cycles, particularly as buyers exercise greater financial caution.
Global DRAM and Flash Market Turbulences
The broader semiconductor sector has entered a severe period of turbulence that began in November 2025, according to Alexandre Chichereau, head of the memory division at ES France. In a market update, Chichereau reported that cumulative DRAM price increases exceeded 100 percent during the first half of November 2025, climbed past 130 percent in the second half of the month, and added another 50 percent gain in the first week of December 2025.
Flash memory prices experienced parallel surges, recording successive increases of 26 percent, 55 percent, and more than 60 percent across the same timeframe. Industry stakeholders attribute these spikes to massive infrastructure investments by cloud computing giants scaling up artificial intelligence datacenters. Major technology enterprises, including Alphabet with Google and Gemini, Amazon, Microsoft via OpenAI, and Meta, have committed hundreds of billions of dollars to capital expenditure plans spanning from 2025 through 2027, as tracked by firms like Goldman Sachs.
Supply Chain Pressures and Future Devices
While enterprise AI datacenters consume massive volumes of high-performance DRAM and Flash memory, market analysts question the timing and sudden intensity of the late-2025 price explosion. Memory manufacturers such as Samsung, Micron, SK Hynix, and Kioxia maintain limited public disclosure regarding the binding nature of their hyperscaler contracts. Intermediary players including distributors and device integrators have accelerated their purchasing to secure components out of fear of future shortages, compounding the upward pressure on spot market prices.
Amid these component cost pressures, Apple continues development on ultra-high-end hardware additions. Industry tracking suggests the company’s first foldable iPhone, occasionally referenced as an iPhone Ultra, could launch with retail pricing starting at premium rates, while top-tier configurations might exceed baseline forecasts. Apple has not yet issued official pricing or release details for either the iPhone 18 lineup or its foldable device category.
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