Apple has reached a new agreement with Samsung, effective from the first quarter of 2027. Under this agreement, Apple has agreed to pay higher costs for RAM and storage in 2027 compared to previous periods.

According to a report shared by DigiTimes and based on information from Jimian News, the tech giant has had to increase its budget for memory components. It is stated that these price increases are directly related to fluctuations in the global chip supply chain.

Up to 40% Increase in Memory Chips

According to approximately the new agreement, Apple will pay $2 per DRAM unit and $0.33 per NAND storage unit. These figures indicate a 30 to 40 percent increase compared to prices paid in the third quarter of 2026.

This rise in memory chip prices is driven by the race among AI companies to build massive data centers. This intense demand is leading to a global memory chip shortage, driving up the costs of both RAM and NAND storage units.

Apple has long been reflecting this cost pressure in its product prices. Former CEO Tim Cook previously liked the chip shortage to a once-in-a-century flood, stating that price increases were inevitable.

Effects Reflected in Product Prices

The company has updated prices across a wide range of products since June. Prices for devices such as Mac models, iPad series, Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini, and Vision Pro have increased by between $100 and $300.

A similar situation is evident on the iPhone side. The starting prices of the iPhone 18 Pro models have been set at $100 higher compared to the iPhone 17 Pro series. Additionally, there have been upward price updates for older iPhone models.

It is not yet clear how this new cost increase will affect Apple’s future product prices. Whether the company will directly pass on these higher costs to the consumer or whether its pricing strategies for 2026 will include this situation remains uncertain.

This strategic move by Apple once again highlights how variable hardware costs can be in the technology sector. How do you think these cost increases will affect the sales prices of devices to be released in the coming period?