Apple Agrees to Samsung’s Higher Memory Prices for 2027: What It Could Mean for iPhone Prices

Apple has reportedly accepted Samsung's renegotiated terms for higher memory prices and secured its share for the first quarter of 2027. According to multiple reports, these price tags are higher than the 2026 prices for the same and may lead to a price hike in the near future. Apple recently announced prices for the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which were about $100 higher than last year's models. The company did not release its usual non-Pro replacement for the iPhone 17, so it raised that model's price by $100 as well. The global price rise has substantially affected iPhone pricing in India, with the iPhone 17 now retailing at a hefty Rs. 99,900 for the base 256GB model.

Apple Accepts Samsung's Higher Memory Prices

According to a report by DigiTimes and a post by Semiconductor Insider on X, Apple has accepted Samsung's raised memory prices for the first quarter of 2027. Citing supply chain sources, the post notes that DRAM and NAND prices are already up 30-40 percent from the third quarter of 2026.

The post also claims Apple has already mapped its demand for the fourth quarter of 2026, so there will reportedly be no price hikes this year. But we should expect some price hikes after the first quarter of 2027. It also cites TrendForce, which claims that DRAM and HBM capacity at major memory manufacturers such as Samsung, SK hynix and Micron has already been allocated for 2027, with cloud and AI companies securing most of it through long-term deals.

Apple will reportedly pay Samsung close to $2.00 per gigabit for LPDDR5X RAM and $0.33 per gigabit for NAND storage. These prices take effect in the first quarter of 2027.

According to the same post, Samsung also attempted to renegotiate memory prices with Oppo and Vivo. But the two Chinese brands reportedly refused to accept the new prices. It remains unclear which memory manufacturer Oppo and Vivo chose for their smartphones. The same source also claims that once Apple closes the deal with Samsung, Chinese brands will reportedly have less negotiating capability, with some even opting for used memory modules for global models.

Apple will reportedly launch the successor to its iPhone 17, the iPhone 18, along with iPhone Air 2 in the first half of 2027. The entry-level iPhone 18e is also expected to launch sometime in 2027.