TrendForce reported on 01-27 that iPhone’s LPDDR memory costs continue to rise:
- Samsung pushed for quarter-on-quarter increase of more than 80%
- SK hynix sought a hike of around 100%
Leading AAPL analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared additional details:
- iPhone memory pricing is now negotiated quarterly instead of every 6 months
- For most non-AI brands, even if you’re willing to pay up, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the supply
- Apple’s playbook: Secure the chips, absorb the costs, grab more market share, and make it back later via services.
The iPhone 17 Pro and Switch 2 both feature 12GB of LPDDR5X. Like Apple, in the short term Nintendo might also choose to absorb the memory costs in exchange of more market share.
[Originally posted on 2026-01-28 Pacific Time]
