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TrendForce reports that reballed memory—chips desoldered from old devices and resoldered onto new ones—currently makes up 3–4% of smartphone memory use, mostly in budget 4G phones priced under roughly $200 with 4GB LPDDR4X modules. The research firm projects this share will rise to 7–9% by 2027 as manufacturers look for cheaper alternatives to new memory chips.
TrendForce reports that some smartphone makers are turning to reballed memory—used DRAM stripped from old hardware and refitted with new solder balls—to stock entry-level 4G phones as DRAM contract prices keep rising. The firm says reballed chips, mostly LPDDR4X 4GB modules, could make up 3-4% of mobile RAM in 2026, potentially rising to 7-9% the following year.
Market research firm TrendForce projects Apple will ship between 1.2 million and 1.5 million units of its newly announced touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro in 2027. The firm also forecasts global OLED notebook shipments will grow nearly 40% year-over-year in 2026 and again by more than 40% in 2027, following Apple's adoption of tandem OLED display technology first used in the M4 iPad Pro.
Market research firm TrendForce reiterated its forecast that Apple's iPhone Duo will capture 29.8% of global foldable smartphone shipments in 2027, up from an earlier 24.8% projection for 2026. The firm expects the overall foldable market to reach 23.5 million units shipped in 2027, a 16.3% increase, with Samsung projected to lead at 31.9% and Huawei falling to 21.3%.
Dell's XPS 13 and Apple's entry-level MacBook still ship with 8GB of RAM, but prices have risen sharply this year—Dell's base configuration climbed $100 and Apple's MacBook went from $599 to $699 amid broader June price hikes. TrendForce reports that memory, storage and CPUs now account for 68 percent of a mainstream laptop's bill of materials.
TrendForce's latest report projects global notebook shipments will fall by a low single-digit percentage in 2027, driven by weaker consumer demand rather than component shortages. The research firm also expects the share of notebook production outside China to shrink from 24% in 2025 to 21% in 2026, and potentially below 20% in 2027, as rising costs make offshore manufacturing less appealing. TrendForce notes that CPU, DRAM, and SSD prices currently make up about 68% of the bill-of-materials cost for a typical $900 notebook.
TrendForce's latest industry report projects global notebook shipments will fall in 2027, with the decline ranging from low- to high-single-digit percentages depending on how brands handle rising component costs. The firm notes that CPU, DRAM, and SSD costs made up 68% of the bill of materials for a $900 mainstream notebook in Q3 2026, and that 2026 shipments were propped up by early purchasing and pulled-forward replacement demand that is unlikely to repeat.
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.