iPhone 18 Pro: the RAM crisis could push up its price

The RAM crisis is proving extremely difficult for the smartphone market, and Apple is not immune. To contain the damage, the company is drawing on its inventory and plans to cut costs on other components. Even so, these measures can only have a limited effect. Everything suggests that the iPhone 18 Pro, due to arrive in September, will cost more than its predecessor.

The sharp rise in memory chip prices is affecting every electronics brand, including Apple. Tim Cook previously described the situation as untenable and warned that price rises were unavoidable. That statement was followed by widespread price increases on the Cupertino company’s website, although iPhone prices have not yet changed. However, conditions are continuing to deteriorate, with Apple’s CEO now calling the RAM crisis a “once-in-a-century deluge”.

Apple has just reported its third-quarter financial results, and Tim Cook confirmed during the earnings call what others had already indicated: memory chip prices for smartphones, PCs and the company’s other products are still rising. While Apple has so far been able to “partially offset” the impact by using its inventory, its CEO acknowledges that the business will face “even higher memory costs” in September.

The iPhone 18 Pro launches during the RAM crisis

For now, the price of the iPhone 18 Pro, which is expected in September, remains unknown. However, all signs point to it being more expensive than the model it replaces. Apple is building up its inventory in response to the crisis. Its financial results put stock at an estimated $11.1 billion, compared with $5.7 billion last September. Yet the benefit of this approach is only temporary. Apple also intends to counter higher memory chip prices by saving money on other components used in its products. Nevertheless, the company concedes that this offset will be only “partial”.

Apple is also forecasting weaker results. Having accustomed us to year-on-year revenue growth of 16%, the company expects an increase of 9% to 11% for the September quarter. “** Expected supply constraints for the September quarter affect iPhone, Mac and iPad,” warns Kevan Parekh, the chief financial officer.**

Google Pixel has already announced adjustments, while Samsung Galaxy has reported losses

In any case, the situation is affecting everyone. As it prepares to unveil the Pixel 11 smartphone series, Google has already mentioned price adjustments to offset rising memory chip costs.

Samsung has also recently published its quarterly results. Although the company is performing very well thanks to sales of memory chips for AI data centres, its mobile division reported losses despite revenue growth driven by Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A sales.

A difficult situation set to continue

As a reminder, memory chip prices are soaring because new data centres are being built, creating an imbalance between supply and demand. Unfortunately, this issue will not be resolved quickly. Samsung, one of the leading memory chip suppliers, has indicated, for example, that supply will remain tight until 2028.

Some forecasts suggest that the problem could last even longer. SK Hynix, one of Samsung’s competitors in the memory chip market, believes demand from its customers will exceed its production capacity until 2030.

Price increases have already started at certain smartphone brands, and shifts in behaviour are now being seen among buyers of premium devices. According to Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm’s CEO and one of the main suppliers, people are increasingly choosing the least expensive versions of premium models, while others are opting for models released last year, whose prices have already fallen.

What we think

Apple has not yet confirmed that the iPhone 18 Pro will be more expensive. It is almost certain that this question will only be settled once the smartphone has been unveiled. Nevertheless, Apple appears to be preparing its investors for weaker performance.

Despite the RAM crisis, Apple is coping well for the time being. During the quarter ending on 27 June, the company’s revenue rose by 16%. Tim Cook also announced: “Apple is proud to report its best-ever June quarter, with double-digit revenue growth for iPhone, Mac and Services, across every geographic segment.”