Apple devices are about to get more expensive, and the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max could cost more than the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple is going to be passing along the increased cost of RAM to customers.
Research firm TechInsights recently told The Wall Street Journal that Apple will need to make the iPhone 18 Pro about $270 more expensive to maintain its current profit margins while accounting for the higher prices it has to pay for hardware.
The iPhone 17 Pro is priced at $1,099, so if Apple raises the cost enough to keep its profit margins, the iPhone 18 Pro could climb to $1,369.
Apple has been forced to pay more for memory chips because there isn't enough supply to meet demand. Chip makers are prioritizing memory production for AI companies that are willing to buy even larger quantities of chips than Apple buys, leaving fewer chips available for consumer devices.
CEO Tim Cook said Apple has been absorbing the price increases so far, but that is no longer sustainable. "Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable," said Cook. "We're doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable."
Apple could raise prices when it launches new iPhones in September, but Mac and iPad costs could increase sooner.
