GoKawiilCounterpoint Research has published a new estimate of the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s bill of materials, suggesting that Apple’s next flagship could cost significantly more to build than the current model. Here are the details.
NAND and DRAM drive cost spike
In a short report published yesterday, Counterpoint Research compares the bill of materials for the 1TB iPhone 17 Pro Max with the expected component costs for the 1TB iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Unsurprisingly, given the component shortages that have been seriously affecting the market since late last year, NAND costs are expected to rise significantly, followed by an equally notable jump in DRAM costs. Counterpoint also points to the expected 2nm SoC and its latest packaging as another major cost driver.
In fact, Counterpoint’s estimate suggests that the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s NAND and DRAM costs alone will come close to matching the current model’s entire estimated bill of materials across NAND, DRAM, processor, camera, display, and other components.
On the flip side, Counterpoint expects costs for display and other parts to drop, although “camera cost will slightly increase due to the new technology,” referring to the expected variable-aperture Main camera.
The report also notes that “Apple is expected to apply different retail price increases across different storage variants, to avoid the loss of gross profit on large-capacity models,” adding that the company is still expected to see slimmer margins on this year’s models, despite an average retail price increase of $200.
For Counterpoint’s full report, follow this link.
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