iPhone 18 might avoid the ugly price hike trend coming for smartphones in 2026
Despite an industry-wide surge in memory prices, Apple may keep iPhone 18 prices stable by leveraging supplier contracts, scale, and services-driven margins.
Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
After affecting retail prices in the PC industry, the ongoing memory crisis in consumer-grade devices is now trickling down to smartphones as well. We already saw its impact on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s pricing, with Samsung rumored to be the next in line.
Most recently, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared some thoughts about the higher memory prices and their impact on Apple. Kuo has responded to a TrendForce report claiming that Samsung and SK Hynix are raising LPDDR prices for iPhones by over 80% compared to the last quarter (likely October-November 2025).
Tight LPDDR supply puts pressure on Apple’s costs
The report cites tightness in the memory supply, how it has worsened since the middle of 2025, and how giants like Apple are no longer immune to it. “Apple appears to have been unable to resist the broader price uptrend,” states the report.
While Apple typically enters into long-term agreements to secure memory for its iPhones, the surge in demand from AI enterprises has compelled the company to conclude negotiations for the first half of the year. The report also claims that the LPDDR prices for the iPhone maker could rise even further in the second half of 2026.
This paints a pretty grim picture of Apple’s long-term agreements with memory suppliers. Even Kuo agrees to the Q1 2026 LPDDR price hikes, stating that they’re “pretty close to what I’ve heard.” However, he does have a few solid points to counter the anticipated price hike for the upcoming iPhones in the iPhone 18 series.
A few quick thoughts on Apple/iPhone memory price hikes:
1. The 1Q26 LPDDR price hikes mentioned in the news are pretty close to what I’ve heard. NAND flash increases, however, are a bit lower.
2. iPhone memory pricing is now negotiated quarterly instead of every six months, so…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) January 27, 2026
Higher memory costs don’t guarantee higher iPhone prices
The analyst reinforces Apple’s leverage, as the company can lock in deals with the world’s largest memory suppliers at a standard rate for the entire shipment. Further, while higher memory costs could affect Apple’s gross margin, the company might not pass them on to customers as part of its market expansion strategy.
Kuo predicts that Apple will absorb the higher component costs to possibly undercut the prices of other flagships and, with that, secure a higher market share. Later, the company could make up for the margins lost on selling iPhones (its star product) by selling services.
From what it looks like, the Cupertino giant wants to avoid raising iPhone 18 prices. Long-term supplier deals, higher order volume, and timely procurement could help the company achieve that. However, I’d still be skeptical about iPhone 18 prices, especially for the higher-memory and storage variants.
For more than five years, Shikhar has consistently simplified developments in the field of consumer tech and presented them…
Samsung confirms a cool privacy screen upgrade for the Galaxy S26 series
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Privacy Display brings hardware-level privacy, using directional OLED pixels and One UI controls to keep sensitive content visible only to you.
Samsung has finally confirmed one of the most interesting and useful Galaxy S26’s new “Privacy Display” feature. We’ve been hearing about it for quite some time, as the initial rumors surfaced in the third quarter of 2025, but the company announced it earlier today with a newsroom post and a couple of videos.
“Samsung will soon unveil a new layer of privacy to shield your phone from shoulder surfing wherever you go,” writes the company. The “new layer of privacy” refers to a screen with variable visibility from different viewing angles.
It looks like two new budget-centric Nothing smartphone could arrive soon
Nothing is gearing up to expand its affordable lineup with the Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro, aiming to blend competitive pricing with familiar design and features.
The Carl Pei-led smartphone manufacturer Nothing is gearing up to launch two new smartphones: the Phone 4a and the Phone 4a Pro. How do we know that? Well, the handsets have been appearing in various regulatory databases, with the most recent listings from authorities in the UAE and the EU.
First, let’s talk about the cheaper model of the two, the Nothing Phone 4a. It has recently appeared on the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) certification database in the UAE. With the model number “A069” (via Gadgets360).
Samsung’s push for slimmer phones could benefit the upcoming Galaxy A57
Leaked images suggest the device could feature a slimmer, lighter design compared to last year’s model.
Samsung is expected to unveil new Galaxy A series phones shortly after introducing its flagship Galaxy S26 lineup. Leaks around the Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57 have been picking up pace in recent weeks, and the latest one offers an early look at the design of the more premium model.
Images of the Galaxy A57 in a purple colorway have surfaced in a TENAA regulatory listing, giving us a glimpse of Samsung’s next-gen mid-range phone. While the overall design closely resembles last year’s Galaxy A56, the new model appears to feature a noticeably slimmer profile.
