The iPhone 18 Pro Max could pack a nearly 12% larger battery than its predecessor, potentially delivering another big boost in battery life.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
Apple is bracing for a sharp rise in the cost of building its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, with bill-of-materials (BOM) expenses for the 256 GB version projected to climb about 38% year-over-year, according to the latest smartphone industry research from TrendForce.
The primary driver is soaring memory prices due to RAMageddon. Memory’s share of total BOM cost for recent 256 GB iPhone Pro models has already jumped from roughly 10% a year ago to about 34% in the third quarter of 2026 and is expected to exceed 40% in the first half of 2027. This marks a major shift: the application processor and display, long the biggest cost components, are being overtaken by memory.
TrendForce estimates the BOM cost of the 256 GB iPhone 18 Pro, due in the third quarter of 2026, will be approximately 38% higher than its 2025 predecessor. If memory prices keep rising, the increase could grow even larger in 2027.
Faced with these higher costs, Apple is expected to absorb part of the increase by accepting lower gross margins rather than fully passing the burden to consumers. The company may follow a strategy similar to recent MacBook launches, softening retail price hikes to protect shipment volumes and market share. Apple could also raise prices on older iPhone models at the same time as the new launch to help offset the memory-driven cost pressure.
The research notes that if even Apple, with its industry-leading profitability, feels this squeeze, Android smartphone makers will face even tighter margins. Many will need to pass on a larger share of the cost increases, leading to steeper retail price rises than those anticipated for the iPhone. Entry-level and mid-range devices, where margins are already thin, will be hit hardest. With memory prices having risen five- to sevenfold since early 2025, some brands may have little choice but to implement substantial price increases or discontinue lines that have fallen into negative gross margins.
As a result, TrendForce expects global smartphone production to remain under downward pressure from the second half of 2026 through 2027 as elevated memory costs continue to weigh on demand.
MacDailyNews Take: RAMageddon won’t last forever — new capacity should ease pressures eventually — but it’s exposing fundamental differences in business models. In a world of rising component costs, customer loyalty isn’t just nice-to-have marketing fluff. It’s a competitive superpower.
Apple isn’t totally immune, but its customers are, by far, the least likely to blink.
See also: Apple customers won’t blink at RAMageddon price increases – but Dell, Lenovo, and Samsung’s will -June 25, 2026
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Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max is set to deliver a meaningful jump in battery capacity, according to a new leak reported by MacRumors
An alleged photo of a battery pack intended for the Chinese model of the iPhone 18 Pro Max lists a capacity of 5,391 mAh. That figure represents a nearly 12% increase over the 4,823 mAh battery found in the equivalent Chinese-market iPhone 17 Pro Max. The image, which shows a unit that includes a SIM card tray, was shared on the Korean platform Naver and is said to have originated on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
The same 5,391 mAh capacity previously appeared in a regulatory filing last month, lending additional weight to the claim.
For the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max — which lacks a physical SIM tray and therefore has more internal space — the leak points to an even higher capacity of 5,567 mAh. That would mark a nearly 10% year-over-year increase from the 5,088 mAh battery in the U.S. iPhone 17 Pro Max.
By contrast, the smaller iPhone 18 Pro is not expected to see significant battery gains. The U.S. model is reportedly set to use a 4,288 mAh battery, representing less than a 1% increase over the 4,252 mAh unit in the current iPhone 17 Pro. Earlier rumors that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be thicker than its Pro sibling may help explain the disparity in capacity increases.
Regional differences in battery size stem from Apple’s decision to retain physical SIM trays in certain markets while making U.S. (and some other) models eSIM-only. The extra space freed by removing the tray allows for slightly larger batteries in those configurations. Since the iPhone 17 generation, the list of eSIM-only markets has expanded beyond the United States to include Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and several other countries and territories.
If the leaked figures prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro Max should offer noticeably improved battery life when it arrives later this year. As always with unconfirmed rumors, official confirmation will have to wait until Apple’s formal announcement.
MacDailyNews Take: Sold! (Oh, wait, we have to see what the foldable offers first!)
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Apple is intensifying preparations for its annual September product launch event while incoming CEO John Ternus assembles his leadership team and new details emerge about a discarded element of the company’s recently launched device-leasing program called “Apple Upgrade.”
The company is readying for what is described as its biggest event of the year, expected in the first half of September. Retail employees in the U.S. are participating in a lottery for roles supporting the in-person media gathering at Apple Park, including organizing lines, checking in guests, providing directions, greeting attendees, and assisting security. The event is widely anticipated to feature the latest iPhone models, including Pro variants and Apple’s first foldable iPhone, among other hardware.
At the same time, John Ternus is preparing to assume the CEO role on September 1, succeeding Tim Cook, who will become executive chairman. As part of early management moves, Bloomberg News‘ Mark Gurman reports, Ternus has brought back Laura Legros, a former vice president of hardware engineering who retired in 2022. Legros previously worked under Ternus and will return as a vice president reporting directly to him. In the new role, she is expected to work cross-functionally, helping coordinate product delivery, development schedules, and alignment across engineering teams — serving as a bridge between different parts of the organization. The hire marks a rare instance of Apple recalling a retired executive and reflects Ternus beginning to put his stamp on the leadership ranks ahead of the transition.
Separately, fresh details have emerged about a scrapped “white-glove” concept for Apple Upgrade, the leasing program that launched in late July and replaced the prior iPhone Upgrade Program and standard financing options. Apple had considered shipping replacement devices already preloaded with a customer’s data and settings restored from an iCloud backup, so the new hardware would arrive ready to use. The technical challenges were not the primary barrier. Instead, privacy and security concerns — along with the optics of the company accessing and restoring personal backups onto devices in its facilities — led the company to abandon the idea. The launched version of Apple Upgrade does not include any such pre-setup feature.
These developments underscore Apple’s focus on a high-stakes product cycle and organizational shifts as Ternus prepares to lead the company into its next phase.
MacDailyNews Take: We’re glad that Apple Upgrade feature was scrapped! Now, we hope for Ternus’ sake that there are enough people left at Apple who remember how the company ran under Steve Jobs so that the company can quickly get back into that mindset. Churning out iterations of Jobs era products for fifteen years fueled a lot of brain drain and Cook era sclerotic thinking at the company over the last decade and a half. Fingers crossed!
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When the iPhone Ultra launches alongside the iPhone 18 Pro Max this fall, Apple will face an awkward marketing dilemma.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
Rumors point to steep iPhone 18 Pro price hikes this September. Here’s why non-Pro buyers should shop now (and Pro buyers should think twice).
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
An iPhone 18 Pro DRAM shortage reportedly leaves $1 billion worth of Apple chips stuck at TSMC, threatening tight supply at launch.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
Apple and its suppliers are scrambling to secure enough DRAM (mobile memory chips) ahead of the expected September 2026 launches of the iPhone 18 series and the foldable iPhone Ultra, according to semiconductor analyst Tim Culpan’s exclusive reporting for Culpium.
With under six weeks to the anticipated debut, assemblers are rushing shipments of DRAM. Apple primarily sources from Micron, with additional supply from SK Hynix and Samsung. Severe shortages due to RAMageddon have left processor wafers sitting idle, awaiting packaging—creating pressure to avoid launch shortages.
The issue stems from Apple’s A20 Pro chips (built on TSMC’s 2nm process), which use Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging that integrates the processor and DRAM at the wafer level. This means DRAM must be available for packaging; unfinished dies cannot simply be stockpiled and completed later. Reports indicate TSMC is holding roughly $1 billion worth of unpackaged Apple processors delayed by the missing memory.
DRAM has been tight for months, driven in large part by memory makers prioritizing higher-margin chips for AI data centers over consumer devices. This has already affected other Apple products (such as certain Macs) with longer wait times. Apple and its partners (including assemblers like Foxconn) expect to meet initial launch demand, but retail stock could deplete quickly and online preorder wait times may stretch afterward. The foldable iPhone Ultra, with its more complex design and lower planned volumes (historically projected in the low millions for the second half of the year in related analyst notes), is viewed as particularly vulnerable to limited availability.
Culpan’s sources indicate Apple plans roughly 200 million combined units across the iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and Ultra over the product cycle, with the Ultra representing under 10%.
This memory constraint adds to broader industry dynamics of rising memory costs and competing demand from AI infrastructure, which have already influenced pricing discussions and production priorities for Apple hardware.
MacDailyNews Take: Buyers interested in the new Pro models or the Ultra at launch would be advised to pre-order very, very promptly!
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Apple is preparing for its biggest product event of the year by opening a lottery that gives U.S. retail employees a chance to help staff the in-person unveiling, according to Bloomberg News’ Mark Gurman.
“With Apple Inc. gearing up for its biggest product launch of the year, the company is opening a lottery for U.S. retail employees who want to help staff the in-person unveiling,” Gurman reported.
The lottery allows retail employees to apply to work the event, where they’ll help organize lines, check in guests, greet attendees, offer directions and support the security teams, according to a memo that was seen by Bloomberg News.
In the memo, Apple said it was “excited to offer U.S. store team members the opportunity to participate in the Event Support Experience Program.” Apple has relied on retail employees to help staff major product launches for years.
The launch event will take place during the first half of September, the company told staff, without providing a more specific date. Historically, Apple’s iPhone presentations have taken place on the second Tuesday or Wednesday of that month. Since Labor Day in the U.S. falls on Monday, Sept. 7th, a Wednesday event appears slightly more likely, as it would preserve the workday travel window Apple has historically provided for attendees.
Workers who participated in either this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference or last year’s iPhone launch aren’t eligible for the upcoming program. Interested employees must apply by Aug. 8th, and Apple will notify those selected by Aug. 17th, according to the memo.
MacDailyNews Take: This year’s September event carries added significance. It will be the first major product unveiling under Chief Executive Officer John Ternus, who is set to take over from Tim Cook on Sept. 1st. The company is expected to unveil its first foldable iPhone — rumored to be called “iPhone Ultra” – as well as the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, new Apple Watch models (Series 12 and Ultra 4), and, perhaps, new AirPods and Apple Home products.
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Apple admits its supply chain faces challenges, and the result could be lengthy wait times for this fall’s iPhone 18 and other new hardware.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
Apple is pushing suppliers for a 20% price cut on iPhone 18 Pro Max OLED panels, even as materials and memory chip costs climb.
(via Cult of Mac - Your source for the latest Apple news, rumors, analysis, reviews, how-tos and deals.)
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