Apple Reportedly Agrees to 100% Price Hike on Samsung Memory Chips
Source: MacRumors
Background
Apple has agreed to pay Samsung twice as much for the LPDDR5X memory chips needed for ongoing iPhone 17 production, according to a report from Korean outlet Dealsite.
Price Increase Details
- Apple held emergency meetings with Samsung’s semiconductor division to negotiate delivery volumes of RAM for the first half of this year.
- The 12 GB LPDDR5X modules used in the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro have roughly doubled in price since early 2025, rising from around $30 to approximately $70.
- Samsung originally planned a 60 % price increase on LPDDR5X modules supplied to Apple, but opened negotiations with a 100 % markup as a tactic, which Apple reportedly accepted on the spot.
Industry Impact
If the industry sources cited by the publication are accurate, Apple’s immediate acceptance highlights the desperation of smartphone makers to secure memory supply. Chipmakers such as SK Hynix and Micron have been shifting production capacity toward high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI servers, leaving mobile DRAM in extremely short supply.
Apple’s Response
Apple aims to keep iPhone 18 Pro starting prices flat. On a recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that rising chip prices would have “a bit more of an impact” on gross margins, but the company still expects year‑on‑year revenue growth of 13 % to 16 % this quarter.
This article, “Apple Reportedly Agrees to 100% Price Hike on Samsung Memory Chips,” first appeared on MacRumors.com.
Tag: Samsung