Tim Cook, outgoing Apple CEO, indicated in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that rising prices for memory and storage modules are forcing Apple to increase device prices, a trend already seen in Macs and expected for iPads and iPhones.
A market analysis by The Wall Street Journal suggests the base model iPhone 18 Pro's price could rise by as much as $200, primarily due to DRAM despite other components like processor, battery, display, and camera modules remaining fairly stable. The cost of a 12GB DRAM module, which was $39 for the iPhone 17 Pro, is projected to surge to $145 for the iPhone 18. Similarly, a 256GB storage module that cost $13 is now expected to be $51, representing a fourfold increase in both cases.
While the safest estimate for the iPhone 18 Pro's sticker price is $1,299, additional rumored camera hardware upgrades could push the price up to $1,399. The larger Max model is expected to be even more expensive. Tim Cook stated that price increases are unavoidable as Apple can no longer shield customers from the higher costs passed on to them. This issue is not unique to Apple, as flagship Android phones have already surpassed the $1,500 to $1,600 range and are expected to climb further.
