On February 25 (local time), reports emerged indicating that even Apple, with its highly resilient supply chain, could not sidestep the repercussions of the ongoing DRAM shortage. To guarantee a stable supply of LPDDR5X memory, Apple executives have been based in South Korea for extended stays, engaging in rigorous negotiations with Samsung. While they did manage to secure the initial batch of supply, the price they agreed to pay far surpassed the 60% premium initially proposed by Samsung, ultimately accepting a staggering 100% increase. In early 2025, the price of a 12GB LPDDR5X chip hovered around $25-29, but by year’s end, it had skyrocketed to $70. Apple is under considerable pressure to maintain a steady memory supply; however, its robust services business offers substantial financial backing to mitigate the impact of escalating hardware costs. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that Apple might absorb the cost increase for the iPhone 18 internally, in hopes of driving shipment volume growth. Nonetheless, there remains a possibility of a price hike for the iPhone 18 series, with the final pricing to be officially announced.