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iPhone 18 Pro Poised for Big Price Hike as Memory Shortage Tightens Early Supply

Analysts say higher DRAM costs and a new A20 Pro packaging method will raise production costs and limit first-week inventory.

Overview

  • Analysts and industry reports in early August forecast the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could see list prices rise roughly $250 to $300, with some estimates lower at $100 to $200.
  • A global DRAM and NAND price spike has increased component costs and pushed Apple to raise prices for some products, a trend Apple executives have attributed to the surge in memory prices.
  • TSMC is building Apple’s A20 Pro on a 2nm node using wafer-level multi-chip module packaging that bonds processor and memory during fabrication, which prevents making chips ahead of time and leaves many units unfinished while they wait for DRAM.
  • Reports say Apple plans to prioritize production of Pro models and may delay the standard iPhone 18 into spring 2027 to concentrate limited memory and assembly capacity on higher-end devices.
  • Analysts warn initial inventory for Pro models and the expected A20 Pro-powered foldable will be tight at launch, so buyers should expect brief sellouts and consider preorders to avoid multi-week delivery delays.