GoKawiil
Tech News
TrendForce projects Apple will ship 5 million units of its newly announced iPhone Duo foldable in 2026, giving it nearly a quarter of the global foldable smartphone market. That would help offset a broader slump in the category, with non-Apple Android foldable shipments expected to fall more than 20% year-over-year even as total foldable shipments edge up slightly to about 20.2 million units.
TrendForce reports Apple's smartphone production rose 14% year-over-year to about 52 million units in Q2 2026, giving it a 19% global share behind only Samsung's 62 million units. The overall global smartphone market fell 8% to 275 million units, a smaller drop than analysts had expected, prompting TrendForce to raise its full-year 2026 forecast to 1.07 billion units.
Market research firm TrendForce projects Apple will raise iPhone 18 prices due to a global RAM shortage, with memory costs for the 256GB Pro model expected to nearly quadruple year-over-year. The report estimates the iPhone 18 Pro Max could start between $1,299 and $1,399, while the foldable iPhone Ultra may launch between $2,099 and $2,299, potentially reaching $3,000.
Market research firm TrendForce forecasts that Apple's next iPhone lineup will carry significantly higher price tags, driven by a global RAM shortage that has pushed memory costs for a 256GB Pro model up nearly 400% year-over-year. The firm expects Apple to absorb some of that cost increase rather than pass it all on, but still predicts the rumored foldable iPhone Ultra could launch between $2,099 and $2,299, potentially reaching $3,000.
TrendForce reports that Apple's memory component costs for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro will be almost four times higher in Q3 2026 than a year earlier. The firm expects Apple to absorb much of that increase rather than fully pass it to consumers, projecting only around a $100 price hike over the iPhone 17 Pro, while leaning more on Services revenue to cushion margins.