Apple Reportedly Accepts Even Higher RAM and Storage Prices in 2027

Apple has reportedly committed to paying Samsung elevated prices for RAM and storage chips as of the first quarter of 2027, according to a DigiTimes report quoting earlier information from Chinese publication Jiemian News. The company is expected to pay around $2 per gigabyte for DRAM and approximately $0.33 per gigabyte for NAND storage, representing a 30% to 40% hike from the prices paid in the third quarter of 2026, as per DigiTimes.

It remains uncertain whether this reported agreement will prompt Apple to increase the prices of products such as iPhones, iPads, and Macs, or if the company has already incorporated the costlier components into its pricing structure for 2026. The surge in memory chip prices can be attributed to AI companies constructing expansive data centers, which have exacerbated the memory chip shortage.

Apple has implemented price hikes across numerous products since June, with former CEO Tim Cook describing the increases as unavoidable due to the chip shortage, likening it to a "100-year flood." In June, Apple raised the prices of all Macs, iPads, Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Vision Pro, with increases ranging from $100 to $300 for many of these devices.

Additionally, starting prices for the iPhone 18 Pro are $100 higher in the U.S. compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, and prices for older iPhones have also increased.