A “100-Year Flood” Threatens the Price of the iPhone 18 Pro: RAM Prices Explode and Apple Admits It Can’t Offset Everything
The RAM prices crisis is heavily impacting the smartphone market, and Apple is not immune. To limit the damage, the company is relying on its inventory and planning to cut costs on other components. However, the impact of these measures is limited. Everything seems to indicate that the price of the iPhone 18 Pro, arriving in September, will likely be higher than that of its predecessor.
The sharp rise in memory chip prices affects all consumer electronics brands, and Apple is no exception. Previously, Tim Cook referred to an untenable situation and announced that price hikes are inevitable. This statement was followed by a general price increase across the Cupertino giant’s website, though it has not yet touched iPhone pricing. Nevertheless, the situation continues to deteriorate, and Apple’s CEO is now calling this RAM crisis a “100-year flood.”
Apple recently presented its Q3 fiscal results, and during the conference call, Tim Cook confirmed what others have already noted: memory chip prices for smartphones, PCs, and other company products continue to rise. While the firm was still able to “partially offset” costs by drawing from its inventory, the CEO admits that the company will have to pay “even higher memory costs” in September.
Apple recently presented its Q3 fiscal results, and during the conference call, Tim Cook confirmed what others have already noted: memory chip prices for smartphones, PCs, and other company products continue to rise.
The iPhone 18 Pro Arrives Mid-Crisis
For now, the exact price of the iPhone 18 Pro arriving in September remains unknown. However, evidence strongly suggests it will cost more than its predecessor. To combat the crisis, Apple is building up its inventory. In its financial results, the firm reported an estimated inventory of $11.1 billion, compared to $5.7 billion last September. But the benefit of this strategy is short-lived. Otherwise, Apple will also offset the high memory chip prices by saving on other product components, though the company admits this compensation will only be “partial.”
Furthermore, Apple anticipates weaker financial results. While the company has accustomed us to 16% year-over-year revenue growth, it projects a 9% to 11% increase for the September quarter. “Supply constraints anticipated for the September quarter affect the iPhone, Mac, and iPad,” warns CFO Kevan Parekh.
Google Pixel Has Announced Adjustments, While Samsung Galaxy Reports Losses
In any case, this situation affects everyone. As it prepares to officially announce the Pixel 11 series smartphones, Google has already mentioned price adjustments to compensate for rising memory chip costs.
For its part, Samsung also recently presented its quarterly results. While the company is doing very well thanks to memory chip sales for AI data centers, its mobile division reported losses despite revenue growth driven by Galaxy S26 and Galaxy A sales.
As it prepares to officially announce the Pixel 11 series smartphones, Google has already mentioned price adjustments to compensate for rising memory chip costs.
A Difficult Situation Settling in for the Long Haul
As a reminder, memory chip prices are skyrocketing due to the construction of new data centers, creating an imbalance between supply and demand. Unfortunately, this problem will not be solved anytime soon. Samsung, one of the main memory chip suppliers, indicates that supply will remain tight until 2028.
Some forecasts suggest the issue could last even longer. SK Hynix, one of Samsung’s competitors in the memory chip market, estimates that customer demand will exceed its production capacity until 2030.
Due to the price increases that have already begun among some smartphone brands, shifts in consumer behavior are already emerging among premium device buyers. According to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, people are increasingly buying the cheapest configurations of premium models, while others are opting for last year’s models (which have already seen price drops).
Our Take
For now, Apple has not officially confirmed that the iPhone 18 Pro will be more expensive, and it is almost certain we won’t know for sure until the official presentation. Nevertheless, Apple appears to be prepping investors for weaker performance.
Either way, despite the RAM crisis, Apple is faring well for the moment. During the quarter ending June 27, the company saw its revenue grow by 16%. “Apple is proud to report its best June quarter ever, with double-digit revenue growth across iPhone, Mac, and Services, and across all geographic segments,” announced Tim Cook.
Links
- The world’s RAM supply crisis is going to get worse before it gets better – AppleInsider
- iPhone 17 surprises with images of the Moon – iGotOffer Blog
- Sell your pre-owned Apple device online – iGotOffer
- Everything About Apple’s Products – The complete guide to all Apple consumer electronic products, including technical specifications, identifiers and other valuable information.
RAM-ageddon Finally Comes for Apple! [Video]
Video uploaded by Waveform Clips on July 15, 2026.
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