A market research firm indicates that Apple’s cost for RAM and 256GB storage is nearly four times higher than last year, suggesting Thai consumers may need to pay an additional several thousand to tens of thousands of baht.
TrendForce, a market research company specializing in electronic components, released its latest report stating that the memory cost for the iPhone 18 Pro 256GB model in Q3 2026 is expected to be nearly 400 percent higher than the same period last year. This is likely to cause the retail prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to rise by 10-20 percent when Apple launches the new products at its Apple Event.“Surprise and shine”
TrendForce’s report notes that Apple has tried to negotiate lower prices for other components in its supply chain, but these efforts have not been enough to offset the sharp rise in memory costs. Another TrendForce report indicates that the total bill of materials (BOM) cost for the iPhone 18 Pro 256GB model has increased by about 38 percent compared to last year. Therefore, TrendForce concludes that a retail price increase is likely unavoidable.
However, TrendForce believes Apple will probably not pass the entire cost burden onto consumers but will reduce profit margins per unit and compensate by increasing revenue from services instead. They predict the iPhone 18 Pro will be priced about 100 US dollars higher than the iPhone 17 Pro.
If Apple does shift the cost burden fully to consumers, it could ultimately hurt Apple itself by slowing down the frequency of phone upgrades. This would reduce Apple's growth opportunities, especially as consumers remain cautious with spending amid a weak macroeconomic environment.
In the Thai market, the iPhone 17 Pro 256GB is currently priced starting at 43,900 baht, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max with the same capacity is priced at 48,900 baht. Based on actual retail price ratios between the Thai baht and US dollar, a 100 US dollar price increase would translate to about 4,000 baht, potentially raising the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro to around 47,900 baht. If the full 20 percent increase estimated by TrendForce occurs, the price could rise to approximately 52,700 baht.
The root of the cost crisis comes from the expansion of AI data centers that have absorbed a very large share of global DRAM and NAND flash memory production capacity, forcing consumer electronics manufacturers to compete for the remaining supply.
The iPhone Ultra is estimated to be priced between 2,099 and 2,299 US dollars, or about 84,000 to 92,000 baht, with the highest capacity model possibly exceeding 3,000 US dollars, or over 120,000 baht, making it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold.