Apple pressures OLED display suppliers for iPhone 18 Pro Max price cuts amid rising chip costs

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.)

As the price of components like RAM and storage continues to skyrocket, Apple has reportedly asked display makers to reduce their prices in an attempt to keep iPhone production costs under control.Apple hopes to save money on new iPhone displaysAccording to The Elec's report, Apple has suggested paying suppliers LG Display and Samsung Display around $70 per iPhone 18 Pro Max display. The report suggests that is angling to pay even less, with both companies aiming for per-panel price points of around $66.50.Apple could pay as much as 20% less than it paid for 2025's iPhone 17 Pro Max displays if LG Display and Samsung Display succeed in meeting that sub-$67 goal. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Apple is pushing OLED panel suppliers to lower their prices for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, as the cost of memory chips and other components rises, reports The Elec. According to the Korea-based report, Apple has proposed paying around $70 for OLED panels, but it might end up paying even less. Industry estimates suggest that Samsung Display and LG Display will supply the panels for around $66.50 each. That would be a roughly 20 percent drop from the prices paid for iPhone 17 Pro Max OLED panels. The report says that the price Apple has paid for iPhone OLED panels has fallen with each new generation. However, this year's reduction is unusually steep, especially considering that the iPhone 18 OLED panel is expected to require greater manufacturing complexity – Apple will be using Samsung Display's latest M16 OLED material set, which improves luminous efficiency, lifespan, and color performance. Smartphone makers across the board are said to be trying to offset rising memory costs by reducing procurement expenses for other components, including display panels and camera modules. According to market research firm UBI Research, Samsung Display is expected to supply 46 million OLED panels for Apple's iPhone 18 lineup this year, comprising 2 million for the standard iPhone 18 model, 18 million for the iPhone 18 Pro, and 26 million for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Meanwhile, LG Display is forecast to supply 41 million panels, including 1 million for the standard model, 19 million for the 18 Pro, and 21 million for the 18 Pro Max. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 18 Pro models in September alongside its first foldable iPhone, followed by the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e in spring 2027. Analysts suggest the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could start at $1,299 and $1,399, respectively. In other words, a $200 jump over their predecessors, with rising memory and storage costs largely to blame. Related Roundup: iPhone 18 ProTags: OLED, The ElecThis article, "Apple Seeking 20% OLED Panel Price Cut for iPhone 18 Pro Max" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums

Macworld In the early days of the RAM shortage, Apple and its customers were largely unaffected, thanks to the company’s market clout and ability to leverage favorable deals with suppliers. This couldn’t last forever, unfortunately, and eventually Apple announced brutal price hikes across its iPad and Mac ranges. It’s expected that similar rises will affect the iPhone range when new models are launched in the fall, but Apple isn’t going down without a fight. According to supply-chain sources quoted by Korean-language news site The Elec, the company has been pressuring partners to cut the unit price of displays for the new iPhones in order to make up for the rising cost of memory. Whereas iPhone 16 Pro Max panels cost more than $100 in some cases and those for the 17 Pro Max were $80, Apple pushed Samsung Display and LG Display to accept just $70 for iPhone 18 Pro Max panels, and has since negotiated them even further down to around $66.50. The Elec describes this cut as significant, even beyond the usual generational reduction, because this year’s screens are more technically demanding to produce. The new OLEDs incorporate M16 stacks, improving brightness, color reproduction, power efficiency, and lifespan, but this means manufacturers have to adjust the production process and stabilize yields. “While product specifications and production difficulty have increased, the price has effectively decreased,” the site explains, admiringly. Representatives of both display suppliers acknowledged the situation. “This year is very difficult due to chipflation,” said Samsung Display president Lee Chung. “There is significant pressure to lower prices for components and displays.” A more optimistic LG Display president Jeong Chul-dong, meanwhile, said: “We are being affected to some extent. It is at a level we can endure as we are pursuing cost innovation.” Whether this suppression of unit costs will result in lower (or less raised) prices for consumers or higher profit margins for Apple remains to be seen. The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will go on sale this September, likely accompanied by the iPhone Ultra, and we won’t know the sale prices for sure until then.