The iPhone 18 Pro Max may cost more to build than its predecessor, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research.
The hardware cost for the 1TB version could rise by nearly $300 compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
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Rising prices for NAND flash storage and DRAM are the biggest factors behind the increase, the firm says.
Higher-capacity models are affected more because they use more memory, making them more vulnerable to price fluctuations.
The new A20 Pro chip, built on TSMC's 2nm process, also adds to the cost.
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While it offers better performance and efficiency, the advanced manufacturing process is more expensive.
Not all components are getting pricier.
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Counterpoint expects the display and some other parts to cost less than on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which could offset some of the increase.
Pricing Strategy May Vary by Storage
Counterpoint believes Apple may raise prices differently depending on storage size rather than applying a flat increase across all models.
This approach would help protect profit margins on higher-capacity phones, which are more exposed to NAND price changes.
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Even if Apple raises the average retail price by $200, the firm predicts the profit margin could still be slightly lower than that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
