Apple berencana untuk meningkatkan iPhone 17 harga di seluruh wilayah pada akhir Agustus, dengan peningkatan hingga 1,000 yuan (sekitar $140) per unit, as a deepening memory-chip shortage drives component costs to unprecedented levels.
The move follows a July 18 price hike in Japan, where Apple’s first broad iPhone price adjustment in years saw the top-storage iPhone 17 Pro Max rise by 25,000 yen to 354,800 yen, and the base iPhone 17 climb 13,000 yen to 142,800 yen. Japan’s adjustments ranged from 8 ke 11.3 percent, with the iPhone Air seeing the steepest increase at 11.3 percent.
Memory Now Accounts for 34% of iPhone Component Costs
The driver is almost entirely memory. A year ago, memory made up about 10 percent of an iPhone’s component cost; in TrendForce’s third-quarter estimate, that has risen to around 34 percent, and the firm projects it will pass 40 percent in the first half of 2027. Memory prices have climbed five- to sevenfold since the start of 2025, even as panel and application processor costs — historically the two biggest line items — have shrunk.
The buildout of AI data centers has swallowed so much of the world’s memory production that hyperscalers are outbidding every consumer electronics maker for the same wafers. Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix — the three dominant suppliers — are allocating output to data centers, where margins are better. Data shows mobile DRAM prices have more than doubled since the second quarter of 2025.
“Once-in-a-Century Flood”
Apple CEO Tim Cook described the situation as a “once-in-a-century flood” during the company’s fiscal third-quarter earnings call, noting that prices have risen exponentially. “Sayangnya, price increases are unavoidable. We have done everything we can to absorb cost pressures and avoid passing them on to consumers, but this is no longer sustainable,” Cook told The Wall Street Journal in June.
Cook said Apple is “reluctantly” passing on the costs, adding that DRAM supply is controlled by just three suppliers and that more vendors would help improve pricing.
Washington Opposes Apple’s Search for Cheaper Memory
Apple’s search for cheaper memory also ran into a geopolitical wall. The company had been testing CXMT dynamic random-access memory for devices sold in China, but Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed the Trump administration’s opposition to the plan.
“The Trump administration is not in favor of that,” Lutnick said after touring an Apple manufacturing facility in Houston. “There have to be other solutions to the memory issue, but it’s not great American companies using Chinese memory.” When asked whether he had relayed this directly to Apple, Lutnick replied he had done so “plainly”.
CXMT and YMTC, the two Chinese memory makers Apple was testing, are both on a Pentagon list of companies linked to China’s military. Apple COO Sabih Khan noted that while Apple customizes many iPhone components, “there isn’t a lot of customization” when it comes to memory, potentially allowing the company to use off-the-shelf Chinese chips.
Namun, seven U.S. senators, led by Indiana Republican Jim Banks and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, gave Apple until August 21 to commit that no CXMT or YMTC memory goes into any Apple product.
What’s Next for iPhone Pricing
iPhone 17 price adjustment comes as Apple prepares for the September launch of the iPhone 18 barisan. TrendForce estimates the bill of materials for a 256GB iPhone 18 Pro runs roughly 38 percent above the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro, suggesting the next flagship could be $100 ke $300 more expensive than the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman wrote in early August that an iPhone price increase was certain, citing memory chip shortages, processor shortages, and the cost of the iPhone 18 Pro’s new camera system. The first foldable iPhone Ultra is expected to start at least $2,000.
For consumers still considering an iPhone 17 purchase, the window may be closing quickly. Apple has not yet officially announced the global price adjustment, but the company already raised Mac and iPad prices worldwide in June, with increases of $100 ke $300 across the product line.