TL; DR
- According to @yeux1122’s recent blog post, “the high-capacity version[s]” of the iPhone 18 series could see a price hike, whereas the “low-capacity versions” could retain their prices. Let me explain.
- The ongoing memory crisis is significant enough to affect a company as large as Apple.
- Among all the models, the iPhone 18 Pro variants (due to higher RAM and storage) are most likely to see a price hike right from launch.
Recent supply-chain developments suggest that the next generation of iPhones may not follow Apple’s usual pricing uniformity across storage tiers. This divergence is closely tied to mounting memory-related costs rather than a broad, across-the-board pricing strategy.
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“High-Capacity” Versions Of iPhone 18 Series Could See A Price Hike
According to @yeux1122’s recent blog post, “the high-capacity version[s]” of the iPhone 18 series could see a price hike, whereas the “low-capacity versions” could retain their prices. Let me explain.
The low-capacity versions could mean the entry-level trims — likely the baseline iPhone 18 — which could ship with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. However, the iPhone 18 Pro models, featuring at least 12GB of RAM, could be more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro.
The surging memory (DRAM) prices are significantly driving up storage (NAND Flash) prices in the smartphone industry as well, as both components share similar production resources. As a result, the “high-capacity versions” could also refer to the 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage variants of the iPhone 18 models.
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iPhone 18 Pro Models Will Most Likely Be More Expensive
Piecing the inferences together, we reach one very solid conclusion. The ongoing memory crisis is significant enough to affect a company as large as Apple. Among all the models, the iPhone 18 Pro variants (due to higher RAM and storage) are most likely to see a price hike right from launch.
Besides the memory crisis, Apple already has a few other reasons to justify the hike. They include a new processor based on 2nm fabrication technology (making it faster and more energy-efficient) and a variable-aperture primary camera that could help capture better pictures in low-light situations. Apple could also add Pro variants with larger batteries.
Remember, Apple is believed to launch the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max this year (when its supply chain would have faced rising memory costs), while the baseline iPhone 18 is said to debut next year (with a chance that memory prices will stabilize by then).
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Base iPhone 18 Might Retain The Entry-Level Pricing
The baseline iPhone 18, on the other hand, should be based on the A20 chipset fabricated with 3nm technology, use the same chassis and hardware as the iPhone 17, and feature a similar battery, which makes it easier for Apple to retain its price.
The memory crisis isn’t a theory anymore, as we’ve already seen Xiaomi charging more with the Xiaomi 17 Ultra for the same amount of memory and storage as the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. Despite Apple’s special arrangements with manufacturers, its strong hold over the supply chain, and the scale at which it operates, the soaring memory prices are bound to affect the company.
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