Apple Seeking 20% OLED Panel Price Cut for iPhone 18 Pro Max

[MacRumors]

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.


Article Link: Apple Seeking 20% OLED Panel Price Cut for iPhone 18 Pro Max

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Apple’s gotta get another guy like the one that they used to have in charge of procurement:

Jobs, Cook, Ive—Blevins? The Rise of Apple’s Cost Cutter

Apple procurement executive Tony Blevins’s job is to stare down suppliers and slash prices to the bone. It’s a role increasingly vital to Apple as its iPhone sales slow and the company protects its high margins and status as an operations juggernaut.

www.wsj.com

 

[thebellnd]

I wonder if Apple will lower quality control requirements to help offset cuts to component pricing. Less displays rejected off the production line means suppliers getting paid for more units produced.

People should be inspecting their new iPhones very closely in September. 😛

 

[svish]

Good to know. This will help Apple to have better profit margins. Anyway expecting the new devices to be costlier. Of course if display component prices too increase, price hikes will be even higher. So lower OLED panel price might be good for everyone.

 

[MarcoPohlo]

Well, Apple should've thought of this before. It's been pretty obvious where everything's headed for almost 3 years now. They shouldn't have treated memory as a commodity and should have made some kind of hedge, like they did with SoC. But then again, Apple only recently started implementing real AI, so I guess they missed this entirely. And their strategy of pressuring everyone with "We are Apple, we are the biggest so give us memory super cheap or else we don't buy it from you" kind of backfired.

 

[Nik]

Question being: Is quality control going to suffer?

 

[musicmachine]

Plus cheaper quality components, like QLC drives instead of TLC

 

[syklee26]

And of course Apple will keep everything instead of passing savings to customers. So typical Tim Cook.

 

[Der_mit_dem_langen]

Tim Apple is really bad for the customer.

 

[Zerlina]

yeah i don't think that these "cost savings" are going to us the consumers

 

[monty-ny]

Simply don't buy/upgrade. Honestly, how many new features will there be anyway? The new 'fold' will be out of monitory reach of many (even with cash-back offers) and I am sure the wireless carriers will offer less deals/incentives.

 

[triumvirate]

Tim Apple is really bad for the customer.

He has never cared about the customer or their experiences. You can hear it every time he talks; his personality and “care” are totally for show.

He is fundamentally a very great bean counter.

 

[tridley68]

Gouge your customers Apple its only money right.

 

[t0rqx]

In other words: The manufacturing cost returned before the AI memory fiasco and Apple did a price hike for even MORE profit hiding behind the AI memory cost increase.

Classic.

 

[t0rqx]

I wonder if Apple will lower quality control requirements to help offset cuts to component pricing. Less displays rejected off the production line means suppliers getting paid for more units produced.

People should be inspecting their new iPhones very closely in September. 😛

They already did. All Macbook Pros are manufactured with small dents and microscratches in the screen. Ordered over 50+ units from M1 to M4.