Apple has agreed to the new memory chip prices set by Samsung for the first quarter of 2027, according to information obtained from the supply chain. This agreement covers DRAM and NAND flash components, which are under intense demand pressure, and this increase may result in a new price hike for iPhones.
This price adjustment by Samsung comes shortly after the launch of the new iPhone 18 Pro models, which were already introduced with higher values than the iPhone 17 Pro. In the Brazilian market, the new iPhones begin to be sold this Friday, September 18th, with starting prices from R$ 11,999. Both the Pro and Pro Max versions have seen an increase of R$ 500 compared to their previous models.
Sources at Semiconductor Insider indicate that Chinese smartphone manufacturers, such as Oppo and Vivo (which markets the Jovi brand in Brazil), managed to resist the increases proposed by Samsung for the end of 2026.
The new quotations negotiated between Samsung and Apple show a considerable increase when compared to the current prices. Depending on the specific component, the values represent increases of about 30% to 40%. This increase occurs in a scenario of scarcity in memory chip supply, while major electronics manufacturers compete for production capacity with companies focused on developing infrastructure for artificial intelligence.
For Apple itself, the final financial impact will depend on the amount of memory used in each device and how the company decides to distribute this cost increase among suppliers, its profit margins, and the final product price. Although the new pact does not automatically guarantee that a future iPhone—whether a new generation or the base iPhone 18, expected only next year—will have an equivalent readjustment, there are reasons for this expectation.
June rumors suggested that Apple's market strategy for chip supply would allow it to maintain the prices of the iPhone 17 in the new generation, although the base memory value would continue to rise. However, this same prediction was made regarding the iPhone 18 Pro.
The growing expansion of data centers dedicated to artificial intelligence has intensified the demand for various types of memory, particularly those used in AI accelerators and servers. In August, Samsung had already implemented increases in the manufacturing costs of these components.
Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, which are the three largest producers in the sector, are allocating part of their production capacity to meet products aimed at the server market, including HBM (High Bandwidth Memory), which is crucial for AI accelerators. This reallocation reduces the availability of components used in other electronic devices and pressures DRAM and NAND prices. A large portion of the production capacity planned for 2027 is already committed.