Apple has reportedly shifted iPhone memory pricing negotiations from a six-month cycle to a quarterly basis.
iPhone 17 Pro starts at Rs. 1,34,900 for the base variant
Photo Credit: Apple
iPhone 18 series is said to be in development with Apple's A20 or A20 Pro chipsets. The purported iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max models could hit the market in September this year, while the iPhone 18 model is rumoured to arrive early next year. Earlier reports suggested that Apple might increase prices across the range due to rising component costs. However, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has now pushed back against these claims. He suggests that Apple may keep the starting price of the iPhone 18 lineup unchanged.
In an X post, Kuo opines that Apple is likely to avoid raising iPhone 18 prices as much as possible, which means that the handsets could arrive at the same price as the iPhone 17 lineup. Rising memory costs are expected to hit the gross margins of iPhone, but the analysts say Apple will use the market chaos to their advantage by securing the chips, "absorb the costs, and grab more market share".
Kuo confirms earlier reports of a price increase in LPDDR memory during the first quarter of this year. The NAND flash price hikes have been relatively lower. The analyst said Apple has shifted iPhone memory pricing negotiations from a six-month cycle to a quarterly basis, making another price increase likely in the second quarter of this year.
The increasing memory cost and cost pressures could become a key discussion point during Apple's upcoming earnings call. Kuo says Apple's comments will potentially impact stocks across multiple industries more than Apple's stock and its suppliers. He noted that the ongoing AI server boom will continue to put pressure on the broader supply chain, and Apple could offset the cost through revenue generated by its services.
Past rumours suggested that Apple might increase prices across the range due to rising component costs. For reference, the iPhone 17 price in India starts at Rs. 82,900, while the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max start at Rs. 1,34,900 and Rs. 1,49,900, respectively, for the base variants.
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