Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro could be one of its most powerful weapons next year. Not because it will be cheap, but because the competition may become even more expensive.
According to a Korean leaker, Apple faces higher storage costs for the iPhone 18 series, especially the Pro models, due to rising DRAM and NAND prices as vendors prioritize demand for AI servers. Even Apple’s next chip will reportedly cost more than the previous generation.
What is Apple doing?
The more interesting part of the leak isn’t that costs are rising. Apple reportedly wants to absorb as much of this pressure as possible rather than immediately passing it on to buyers. The company is apparently trying to keep prices for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro at the same level as the current generation, even as Android phones become more expensive across all segments. Well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believes that Apple wants to avoid a price increase for the iPhone 18 “as much as possible” in order to maintain competitiveness.
If that’s true, Apple wouldn’t have to undercut its competitors to make life difficult for them. It would just need to remain relatively stable while competing flagship brands continue to drive up prices.
Why this could put Android rivals under pressure
Android makers often have less room than Apple to absorb component inflation, and some reports have already portrayed rising storage costs as a broader industry problem. If Apple can use its size and supply chain influence to keep the iPhone 18 Pro close to current prices as the competition climbs higher, the pricing issue is changing quickly, especially in the premium segment where buyers are already stretching their budgets.
Apple doesn’t need the iPhone 18 Pro to be a bargain. It just needs to seem disciplined while everyone else is starting to seem expensive.
