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iPhone 18 Pro could bring more power without the usual price shock: Here's how
Apple is reportedly absorbing a 100% increase in RAM costs to keep its next flagship aggressively priced.
According to leaks, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro series is likely to set a new benchmark for what an iPhone Pro can offer; however, it is tipped to remain within the price range of its predecessors. Apple is reportedly planning to absorb soaring memory costs, the driving force behind the rising smartphone prices, and avoid passing them on to consumers. In turn, the brand could price its most ambitious series more aggressively.
iPhone 18 Pro Pricing Could Remain Unchanged Despite Rising Memory Costs
Stepping back in time, Micron was reported to have halted consumer memory sales in December 2025 as it focused on meeting rising demand for memory and storage in AI data centres. Even Samsung and SK Hynix, the other two memory manufacturers, reportedly signed letters of intent with OpenAI in April 2026 for 900,000 DRAM wafers per month, which accounts for 40% of global supply. This deal has prompted Samsung to raise DRAM prices by 100% and SK Hynix to trim its consumer memory production. Notably, these three companies collectively hold 90% of the total DRAM supply. Additionally, Apple reportedly agreed to a 100% price increase for Samsung's LPDDR5X RAM.
Despite mounting pressure, MacRumors reports that the Cupertino tech giant could price the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,099 ( ₹1.05 lakhs approximately), with the iPhone 18 Pro Max potentially starting at $1,199 ( ₹1.15 lakhs approximately) in global markets. If so, the new iPhone Pro series could align with the iPhone 17 Pro series in pricing.
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro May Deliver Its Biggest Hardware Upgrade in Years
Interestingly, Apple’s efforts to maintain pricing stability may not come at the expense of hardware upgrades in the new iPhone 18 Pro series. Leaks suggest that the iPhone 18 Pro series will retain its rear camera “plateau,” but its camera setup is expected to undergo a major overhaul. According to Digital Chat Station, a notable Weibo leaker, the Pro iPhones could feature a camera with a variable aperture, similar to the way lenses on DSLR and mirrorless cameras work. This would give users more granular control over depth of field and exposure. Samsung previously showcased this technology with the Samsung Galaxy S9 in 2018, allowing users to switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures through a mechanical dual-aperture lens system. Apart from this, the telephoto lens on the iPhone 18 Pro series is speculated to feature a faster aperture, resulting in better-exposed low-light images.
In terms of internal hardware, the iPhone 18 Pro series is likely to be powered by the upcoming A20 processor. The chip is said to use a Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) design, integrating the RAM directly alongside the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine to improve efficiency and performance. The iPhone 18 Pro series is rumoured to debut with Apple’s next-generation C2 modem, which could improve overall wireless performance. Moreover, The Information claims that Apple is working on broader satellite network support, potentially allowing future iPhones to handle satellite-based communication beyond just emergency features and messaging.
Even the dynamic island on the iPhone 18 Pro series is not left behind in the upgrades. Some leaks suggest that these upcoming Pro models will feature a punch-hole camera in the top-left corner, alongside an under-screen Face ID. By contrast, another faction, particularly Mark Gurman and Ice Universe, speculates that the iPhone 18 Pro will instead feature a much smaller dynamic island.
Battery upgrades are also expected to be part of the package. According to leaks, the iPhone 18 Pro models could feature batteries exceeding 5,000mAh, with eSIM-only variants reportedly getting slightly larger capacities thanks to the extra internal space.
