Apple eyes $100 iPhone price hike amid DRAM shortage

Apple ↘ 0.80% is scaling back its 2026 hardware shipment plans as a worsening global DRAM shortage squeezes production across its lineup, while mounting evidence points to price increases on the iPhone for the first time since the memory crisis began.

Shipment Cuts and Supply Constraints

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo confirmed on August 9 that Apple has trimmed its 2026 hardware shipments because of tight DRAM supply, according to MacRumors. Kuo's note pushed back on a separate claim that TSMC Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ↘ 1.20% was sitting on $1 billion worth of unpackaged Apple processors, calling that scenario unlikely given how closely the two companies coordinate production. But he affirmed the underlying shortage is real.tech-insider+2

The Mac Studio, Mac mini, and MacBook Air have already been affected, and Kuo expects constraints to extend to the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple's first foldable device, widely referred to as the iPhone Ultra. Those models are expected to sell out quickly during pre-orders due to limited allocation rather than extraordinary demand.etnownews+1

A $100 Price Hike Looms

A rumor from a tipster on X, reported by GSMArena on August 12, claims Apple will raise prices on all existing and upcoming iPhone models by $100, with a launch event for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup tentatively set for September 8. The iPhone 18 Pro's bill of materials has reportedly risen roughly 40% over its predecessor due to surging DRAM and NAND costs. Apple had already raised prices on Macs, iPads, Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro in June but left iPhones untouched until now.gsmarena+1

Apple is also trying to offset costs elsewhere. According to the South Korean site DealSite, the company has pressured Samsung Display and LG Display ↘ 3.29% to cut OLED panel prices for the iPhone 18 Pro from roughly $110–$120 per unit down to about $68.appleworld

China Memory Plan Faces Headwinds

Apple's effort to diversify its memory supply by sourcing from Chinese makers CXMT and YMTC has run into growing obstacles. The Wall Street Journal reported on August 9 that Apple has been testing CXMT chips across product lines but faces federal restrictions that prevent U.S. companies from transferring technology to the Chinese firm. Reuters confirmed Apple hopes to win White House approval for the arrangement.wsj+1

The political headwinds are stiff. A bipartisan group of six U.S. senators gave Apple an August 21 deadline to commit to not using CXMT or YMTC memory in any product sold worldwide, citing the companies' placement on a Pentagon blacklist of entities believed to support Beijing's military. Apple CEO Tim Cook has personally appealed to Trump administration officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to soften the political fallout, according to Bloomberg reporting cited by the Japan Times.9to5mac+2

With no quick resolution in sight — ADATA's chairman has warned the shortage could last up to a decade — Apple faces a holiday quarter defined by constrained supply, higher prices, and an increasingly narrow path to relief.etnownews