Despite rising DRAM prices, a projection emerged that Apple will not raise the sales price of the new iPhone 18 slated for release this year. DRAM is a key component that determines a smartphone's processing speed and storage capacity.
MacRumors on the 28th cited Apple-focused analyst Kuo Ming-chi, an analyst at Taiwan's TF International Securities, as saying, "Apple is crafting a strategy to minimize iPhone 18 price hikes," adding, "at a minimum, it plans to freeze the base model price."
Analyst Kuo said on X (formerly Twitter) that while the unit price increase for low-power (LPDDR) memory largely matched market information, the rise in prices for NAND flash used in storage remained more limited than initially feared.
In particular, because the prices of the memory applied to iPhones are negotiated on a quarterly basis, there is a high possibility of additional adjustments in the second quarter. However, the analysis is that the increase will likely be formed within a range similar to the first quarter.
However, Kuo viewed that although Apple's margins will shrink due to the rise in memory unit prices, it will minimize price increases and solidify its market share. The strategy is also to secure volumes in advance through bargaining power to minimize expense pressure.
Apple also kept prices relatively stable when it released the iPhone 17. Even though the base capacity of the iPhone 17 base model changed from 128GB to 256GB, the price was set at 1.29 million won, 110,000 won lower than its predecessor (1.4 million won).