The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will cost exactly the same as their predecessors, according to a new research note from GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, a constant purveyor of Apple-related supply chain information.
That is obviously very good news, if it pans out, since the pricing stability of smartphones is anything but guaranteed this year given how memory production seems to mostly be going to AI data centers.
Pu says Apple is focused on cost management, based on his supply chain research, in order to keep the prices the same as last year. Pu thinks Apple has been negotiating with Samsung and SK Hynix to get relatively favorable memory chip deals, and he expects Apple to be able to lower the costs of some other core iPhone components, including the display and cameras, in order to compensate for any increase in RAM cost.