Apple will equip the standard iPhone 18 with 12GB of RAM — a 50% increase over the iPhone 17 — while keeping the $799 starting price unchanged and absorbing higher memory chip costs itself.
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iPhone 18 gets 12GB RAM at $799 as Apple absorbs chip costs
Apple will equip the standard iPhone 18 with 12GB of RAM — a 50% increase over the iPhone 17 — while keeping the $799 starting price unchanged and absorbing higher memory chip costs itself.
Apple's standard iPhone 18 will ship with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM, a 50% increase from the iPhone 17's 8GB, while the company absorbs rising memory chip costs to hold the $799 starting price.
"Memory and storage chips are a challenge we're managing," Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said, describing commodity price volatility over the past six months as unprecedented. "We'll use our cash reserves to address the supply issues."
The 12GB upgrade, confirmed by KB Securities via DigiTimes, brings the base iPhone in line with the iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max and iPhone Air — models that already ship with 12GB. The additional memory is required to run Apple's most advanced on-device Siri AI model, unveiled at WWDC 2026, which enables expressive voice personalization and improved systemwide dictation accuracy. Apple has asked its three main DRAM suppliers — Samsung Electronics Co., SK Hynix Inc. and Micron Technology Inc. — to increase LPDDR5X chip supply for the 2026 iPhone lineup, paying above-market prices to secure allocation.
The decision to absorb higher component costs rather than pass them to consumers comes as Apple faces "significantly higher memory costs," Cook acknowledged. The iPhone 18 is expected in the first half of 2027, alongside the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2, while the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and foldable iPhone launch in fall 2026. Apple shares rose 1% in after-hours trading following Cook's remarks.
The memory parity across the iPhone 18 lineup closes a gap that left standard iPhone 17 owners unable to access Apple's most advanced AI features. The iPhone 17's 8GB ceiling locks out the expressive Siri voices and enhanced dictation capabilities that Apple positioned as a key differentiator at WWDC 2026. For iPhone 17 users considering an upgrade, the AI feature gap in iOS 27 makes the decision more consequential.
Apple's willingness to absorb DRAM cost increases — rather than follow the broader industry trend of passing them to buyers — reflects the competitive pressure it faces. Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S27 is expected to start around $899 with comparable specifications, giving Apple a $100 pricing advantage if the $799 iPhone 18 price holds. The company's cash reserves, which stood at more than $150 billion as of its most recent quarter, provide the buffer needed to weather the supply constraints.
The DRAM market remains tight as AI data center demand consumes a growing share of global memory production. Apple's three suppliers — Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron — have prioritized high-margin HBM (high-bandwidth memory) chips for AI accelerators, squeezing supply for mobile DRAM. Apple's willingness to pay above-market rates ensures allocation priority but adds pressure to its gross margins, which have already faced headwinds from rising component costs.
For investors, the key question is whether Apple can maintain its hardware margins while absorbing memory cost increases. Apple trades at roughly 30x forward earnings. The $799 iPhone 18 price point, if sustained, would mark the third consecutive generation at that level for the base model — an unusual feat in an inflationary environment for semiconductor components.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
