At least for the near future, iPhones aren’t likely to be impacted by RAM shortages and price increases, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says in an X post. Here are the flights from his report:
iPhone memory pricing is now negotiated quarterly instead of every six months, so expect another hike in 2Q26. Right now, the 2Q26 QoQ increase looks similar to 1Q26.
For most non-AI brands, even if you’re willing to pay up, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the supply. The fact that Apple can lock in a deal like this shows just how much leverage they have.
Higher memory costs will hit iPhone gross margins. But Apple’s playbook is clear: use the market chaos to their advantage—secure the chips, absorb the costs, and grab more market share. They’ll make it back later on the services side.
The cost pressure from memory could be a hot topic for investors and analysts at Apple’s earnings call this week. What Apple says could actually shake up other industries’ stocks more than Apple’s own or its suppliers’.
Apple’s current plan for 2H26 new iPhone 18 models is to avoid raising prices as much as possible—at least keep the starting price flat, which is helpful for marketing.
Apple has realized that it’s not just memory and T-glass—other components could also run short as the AI server boom continues to squeeze the rest of the supply chain.
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