The selling price of iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max is expected to be 300 USD higher than the current generation due to the sharp increase in the cost of semiconductor components and memory chips globally.According to Macrumors, in a report sent to investors on July 31, analyst Jeff Pu at GF Securities said that the price of iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max could be expensive. 250 to 300 USD more than the current version. Currently, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max have starting prices of 1,099 and 1,199 USD, respectively.
According to him, the main reason leading to the price increase is the high cost of manufacturing processor chips on the 2 nm process, combined with the increased price of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips. Apple is facing a serious component supply shortage due to the global AI infrastructure boom that has “eaten up” the output of semiconductor manufacturers.
Edit photo of iPhone 18 Pro with cherry red color. Photo:Macworld
In June, Apple had to adjust the prices of a series of products including iPad, Mac computer, HomePod, Apple TV and Vision Pro glasses to offset costs, but the iPhone line itself has not been affected.
“Increasing the price of the new generation iPhone Pro may create instability in demand from consumers,” Pu said. Facing that risk, he downgraded Apple’s stock rating from “Buy” to “Hold”.
During the third quarter 2026 financial results meeting, held on July 30, Apple CEO Tim Cook refused to comment on whether the company will introduce a new price for the iPhone.
Previously, in mid-June, he said the company was planning to adjust product prices to offset costs. The cost of memory chip components is increasing. “Unfortunately, price increases are inevitable,” Cook told WSJ. “We have tried our best to reduce price increases and protect customers, but things are unsustainable.”
Also according to him, memory and DRAM costs are a “concern” for the company in the context of production lines prioritizing the types of high-bandwidth memory used in AI servers. “Supply is scarce, while consumers need devices, and memory manufacturers increase prices sharply,” he said.
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max duo are expected to be released in September, along with the first folding screen phone model called Ultra – the device is expected to be the most expensive iPhone ever with a price of over 2,000 USD. Meanwhile, the iPhone 18, 18e and Air 2 versions are expected to launch in spring 2027.