Apple has negotiated lower costs for OLED panels from Samsung and LG to offset increased expenses for memory chips in its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max, as industry pressures push component prices higher even amid potential retail price hikes.
Apple has struck a lower display price for the iPhone 18 Pro Max as it tries to offset rising memory costs across the next iPhone line-up, according to South Korea’s DealSite. The report says the company will pay about $68 for each OLED panel from LG Display and Samsung Display, down from the roughly $110 to $120 Apple paid for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The move comes as the broader memory market remains tight, with chipmakers and cloud companies absorbing large volumes of RAM for artificial intelligence data centres. That pressure has pushed up prices for memory used in consumer devices, including smartphones, and Apple appears to be using savings on other parts to limit the damage to margins. Industry reports say the display negotiation is part of a wider effort to trim procurement costs for components that are not memory-related.
Even so, the iPhone 18 Pro range is still expected to become more expensive. Estimates cited by market researchers and industry outlets suggest the Pro models could rise by as much as $200 to $300, with the iPhone 18 Pro starting at about $1,399 and the Pro Max at about $1,499. Separate forecasts from IDC have also pointed to a possible increase of as much as $200 for the Pro models, while Counterpoint Research has said the bill of materials for the 1TB Pro Max could climb by nearly $300 because of higher NAND flash and DRAM costs and Apple’s shift to a 2nm processor.
MacRumors reported in July that Apple had been pressing suppliers for panel prices in the low $70 range, with estimates suggesting the actual supply cost could land near $66.50 per display. That would represent a reduction of about 20% from the iPhone 17 Pro Max panel price. The same reports note that the newer OLED panel is expected to use Samsung Display’s M16 material set, which should improve luminous efficiency, lifespan and colour performance, even as Apple pushes for a lower purchase price. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.
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