Apple has reportedly agreed to a 100% price increase to Samsung, purchasing the required LPDDR5X memory chips for ongoing iPhone 17 manufacturing. This new deal ensures Apple will pay double what it has for increasingly more scarce RAM.
According to Korean outlet Dealsite, Apple reportedly sat down with Samsung in an emergency meeting to negotiate a deal for delivery volumes of RAM for the first half of 2026. Discussing this with Samsung’s semiconductor division, it’s claimed that Apple was prepared for a 60% price increase, which Samsung was believed to be originally pushing. However, Samsung opted for a 100% increase from the get-go, and Apple accepted it immediately.
Prices for the 12GB LPDDR5X modules, which Apple utilizes for the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone Air, have already increased by more than double. Since early 2025, prices have risen from around $30 to around $70. The ballooning costs of RAM aren’t only affecting Apple. The memory shortage is hitting all major tech companies and consumers as a result of investments in AI. With large corporations eating up high-bandwidth memory for servers, RAM, and other components are becoming more and more expensive.
The same report goes on to claim that Samsung’s production of its newly announced Galaxy S26 is using a 50/50 split of LPDDR5X from Samsung’s semiconductor division and Micron. The two suppliers are said to be planning price increases after the first batch is produced and shipped. The company is expecting to increase prices for Galaxy S26 as a response, according to the report. It’s also said that Samsung may offset some costs by leveraging the Exynos 2600 chip in around 30% of units in some markets.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
I don’t accept the price increase. RAM has been around for over five decades now, it’s nothing new–prices should be decreasing, not increasing.
That’s not a good sign to come. Don’t see Apple taking the loss when they said they were gonna try not to raise the price this year due to this situation. It’d be nice, but at 100% increase I have lost hopes.
Shame, I was looking forward to that red Pro Max
They’ve been overcharging us 500% to upgrade the 8GB RAM on our Macbooks, they’ll be fine.