iPhone 18 Pro Costing Apple 38% More to Make, TrendForce Estimates

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro will cost nearly 40 percent more to build than its predecessor because of soaring memory prices, according to new data analyzed TrendForce. The research firm's latest smartphone analysis puts the bill of materials for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro roughly 38 percent above the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro, and says higher retail prices will be unavoidable as a result. Memory is said to have accounted for about 10 percent of the 256GB iPhone Pro's total component cost a year ago. TrendForce estimates that figure at roughly 34 percent in the third quarter of 2026, rising past 40 percent in the first half of 2027. Panel and application processor costs, once the two biggest line items, drop to single-digit percentages by that point, given memory has taken up so much of the overall cost. TrendForce expects Apple to take the same approach it used with recent MacBook launches by giving up part of its gross margin to keep the increase palatable with customers and protect shipment volumes. It also suggests Apple could raise prices on older iPhone models at the same time as the new lineup arrives, thereby spreading the cost recovery across the range. TrendForce notes that memory prices have climbed five- to sevenfold since the start of 2025, and expects Android vendors in the entry-level and mid-range segments to raise prices more steeply than Apple. That, or they could drop product lines outright. Apple raised prices across the Mac, iPad, Apple TV, HomePod, and Vision Pro lines in June over concerns about the same memory crunch. The iPhone lineup escaped that round, but it looks increasingly unlikely that it will escape the next one. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone "Ultra" next month. Popular StoriesiPhone 18 Pro Display Sizes: What to ExpectThursday July 30, 2026 4:30 am PDT by Tim HardwickApple won't change the display size of this year's iPhone 18 Pro models, but a different change to the display has been rumored several times now. Apple is expected to stick with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, respectively. For context, those are the display sizes of the current iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Meanwhile, rumors continue to ...iPhone 18 Pro: Three Ways Apple's Chip Redesign Boosts PerformanceTuesday July 14, 2026 12:16 am PDT by Tim HardwickAn unconfirmed image of the iPhone 18 Pro's motherboard was recently shared online that appears to suggest that the A20 Pro chip is built on a new packaging technology. It might not sound exciting, but it could deliver an instant jump in real-world performance over the A19 Pro currently used in the iPhone 17 Pro models. The image shows an apparent A20 Pro chip integrated using TSMC's...iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New FeaturesIt is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...