Quick Summary
Is the era of the affordable iPhone over?
It looks like it just might be...
It seems that RAMageddon is about to claim another victim – and this one is going to hurt millions of us. Fresh rumours and reports over the price of the iPhone 18 Pro suggest it's going to hit consumers in the wallet like never before.
It comes after Tim Cook confirmed that price rises were "unavoidable" across the Apple portfolio. The reason seems clear – ongoing RAM and component shortages arising from the unprecedented needs of AI data centres.
Now, the folks over at the Wall Street Journal have taken an educated guess at the cost of the new handset. That could see a start price of US$1,399 (approx. £1,050 / €1,220 / AU$1,995) for the handset. It's worth noting that Apple often prices its devices to the same number irrespective of location, so the actual figure could be more bleak here in the UK and Europe.
Sticking with the US pricing for ease, that would represent a US$300 price hike over the current entry point for the iPhone 17 Pro. It's going to be a pretty gnarly pill to swallow for consumers, particularly after a few years of miniscule or no rises.
What's more concerning is that it's likely to shape a trend across the wider phone market. It's no secret that Apple's size and influence makes it a bit of a figurehead.
If the cost of an iPhone goes up to account for the RAM shortage, you can bet your bottom dollar that every other phone will also go up to match it. That makes the whole thing less appealing, and could have some really devastating consequences for the market at large.
It feels like an inevitability at this point – particularly as there seems to be no sign of the RAM shortage easing in the near future – but it's still a nuisance for cash-strapped tech lovers.
