Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro could end up being one of its most effective weapons next year. Though it’s not because it will be cheap, but because the competition may be getting even more expensive.
According to a Korean leaker, Apple is facing higher memory costs for the iPhone 18 series, especially on the Pro models, due to rising DRAM and NAND prices as suppliers prioritize AI server demand. Even Apple’s next chip is rumored to cost more than the generation before.
What is Apple doing?
The more interesting part of the leak is not that costs are rising. It is that Apple reportedly wants to absorb as much of that pressure as possible, rather than immediately passing it on to buyers. The company is apparently trying to keep the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro pricing in line with the current generation, even as Android phones across segments are getting more expensive. Known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believes that Apple is looking to avoid raising iPhone 18 prices “as much as possible” to preserve competitiveness.
If that holds true, Apple would not need to undercut rivals to make life difficult for them. It would just need to stay relatively stable while competing flagship brands keep pushing prices upward.
Why that could squeeze Android rivals
Android makers often have less room than Apple to absorb component inflation, and some reports have already framed rising memory costs as a broader industry problem. If Apple can use its scale and supply-chain leverage to keep the iPhone 18 Pro close to current pricing while rivals move higher, the value conversation changes fast, especially in the premium segment, where buyers already stretch their budgets.
Apple does not need the iPhone 18 Pro to be a bargain. It just needs it to look disciplined while everyone else starts to look expensive.