Supply chain bottlenecks in DRAM could lead to limited availability and higher prices for Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro, with potential impacts on launch and lineup options this fall.
Apple's next premium iPhone may arrive into a tighter-than-usual launch window, with a new report suggesting the iPhone 18 Pro could be in short supply when it goes on sale this fall. According to Culpium, the bottleneck is not Apple's A20 Pro processor, which is said to be moving ahead normally, but DRAM availability, leaving roughly $1 billion worth of processors waiting for memory before final production can proceed.
That fits a broader picture of strain across the memory market. MacRumors has reported that the same global shortage, driven in part by heavy demand from AI hardware, is already pushing up DRAM and NAND prices and shaping Apple's planning for the iPhone 18 family. Counterpoint Research, as cited by MacRumors, says the iPhone 18 Pro Max could see its bill of materials rise by nearly $300 versus the previous generation, while Apple chief executive Tim Cook has acknowledged that higher prices are hard to avoid amid the memory squeeze.
Price increases may not be limited to the top model. Separate reporting from MacRumors and other outlets suggests the iPhone 18 Pro could start at $1,399 in the U.S., with analysts pointing to rising component costs as the main reason. Some reports also say Apple is working to secure more supply behind the scenes, but that effort may still leave the company exposed to shortages if demand for the new phones is strong at launch.
The shortage could matter even more if Apple trims the size of the lineup. Culpium says the company is not expected to introduce a standard iPhone 18 model this year, instead reserving the September keynote for the Pro models and a long-rumored foldable iPhone Ultra, while the base iPhone 18 and a lower-cost Air 2 may slip to 2027. If that proves accurate, buyers looking for a new iPhone this year may have fewer and more expensive options than usual.
Apple is expected to unveil the phones at its fall event in early September, with the current window centered on Wednesday, September 8, or Thursday, September 9. For now, the key question is whether Apple can turn enough DRAM into finished devices quickly enough to avoid a launch-day squeeze that could leave the iPhone 18 Pro harder to find than usual.
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