OLED panels are also about to increase in price

OLED screen on Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung both makes machines and sells OLED panels to many other brands. Photo: Tinhte

According to supply chain source ChannelGate in China, cited by ITHome and Android Authority, Samsung has told customers that OLED panels in 2027 will be about 10 to 20 USD more expensive per panel. What's interesting is that according to this source, the reason is not because of increased production costs, but because Samsung wants to regain control over OLED panel prices, which they consider to be chaotic.

Digital Chat Station also has a similar assessment, but adds another reason: the OLED screen control chip is in short supply, so costs have increased. This leaker believes that the impact will be more obvious in 2027, and some phone companies have started to collect OLED panels from now on to avoid being affected.

Samsung is an OLED supplier for many mid-range and high-end phones. Photo: Tinhte

10 to 20 USD sounds small compared to the price of a flagship, but remember that this is the price of components. When it reaches the buyer, the number is often multiplied through the profit and distribution stages. And it doesn't come alone but cumulatively with RAM. Samsung sells OLED to many brands, so Android Authority believes that you should not be surprised if most phones launched in 2027 increase their prices once again, including the upcoming Galaxy S27 series.

RAM has not cooled down yet, can last until 2029 or 2030

Phone RAM prices have doubled in just the first half of 2026

The RAM crisis starts with the needs of AI data centers. Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron focus their capacity on making HBM, a more profitable type of memory for AI chips, so the portion for phone RAM is narrowed. In May, Tinhte compiled data: in early 2026, the LPDDR5 contract price was about 10 USD per GB, and TrendForce predicted that by the end of the second quarter it could be nearly 20 USD per GB.

This year the consequences are clearly visible. Android Authority reminded that Google and Samsung have both increased their device prices, while other companies have had to cut back here and there to avoid price increases. Samsung's director of mobile operations also told The Verge that lack of RAM significantly contributed to the Galaxy S26 and S26+ being 100 USD more expensive than the previous model.

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Ram prices increase, making it difficult for phones to be cheap. Photo: Tinhte

What's new this time is the timeline. Previously, analysts said it would take at least the end of 2027 for the RAM market to cool down. Now Digital Chat Station's source says it could take until 2029 or 2030. If that's true, waiting for RAM to get cheaper before buying a device could mean waiting another 3 or 4 years.

iPhone 18 is often rumored to be more expensive than iPhone 17

Apple has increased the prices of iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 Pro this year

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Apple has already increased the price. According to Cult of Mac, in September Apple raised the starting price of iPhone 17 in the US from 799 to 899 USD. iPhone 18 Pro 256GB version costs 1,199 USD, 100 USD higher than iPhone 17 Pro. Now Digital Chat Station says the regular iPhone 18, expected to be released in the first half of 2027 along with the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2, will be even more expensive than the regular iPhone 17 currently on sale.

Cult of Mac notes that it is unclear whether this increase is compared to the original price of 799 USD or the current price of 899 USD, and whether it applies in the US or not. The reason may still be memory. Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal earlier this year that Apple could no longer afford rising memory chip costs.

iPhone 18 Pro is on sale at a price 100 USD higher than the previous model

Regarding hardware, Digital Chat Station said the iPhone 18 still retains the 6.3-inch OLED screen, Dynamic Island, Face ID and two 48MP cameras like last year. The big change is the larger 3,692 mAh battery of the iPhone 17, plus the A20 chip made on a 2nm process.

Increasing capacity: Apple still makes more than 3 times more profit

The gap between selling price and cost has narrowed, but is still very large

This is the part I find most interesting. According to Wall Street Journal analysis cited by 9to5Mac, on the iPhone 17 Pro, upgrading from 256GB to 1TB required the buyer to pay an additional 400 USD, while Apple's memory cost at that time was only about 42 USD, meaning Apple collected nearly 10 times the cost.

Upgrade to iPhone 18 Pro, the difference between the 256GB and 1TB versions increases to 600 USD. Apple's direct costs also increased sharply, estimated at about $192. But 600 USD is still more than 3 times that number. In other words, the cost of memory increased more than 4 times while Apple only increased the price of the upgrade part by 50%, but the profit margin on this part is still very thick.

iPhone 18 Pro. The 1TB version is up to $600 more expensive than the 256GB version in the US

To be fair, 9to5Mac also mentioned another idea. Apple just reported in its latest financial report that memory costs will reduce holiday quarter profit margins, and this pressure is not expected to ease any time soon. A comment below the article also explained that Apple aims for an average profit margin. The basic version has little profit, the upgraded version has a lot of profit to bring the average up. If Apple only sold a 512GB version, the starting price would have to be much higher. I find that argument reasonable, but for buyers, the result is still the same: for each additional capacity tier you choose, you are paying Apple's highest profit.

Should I buy the device now

If the device you're using is still fine, there's no need to rush. Photo: Tinhte

I divide into three cases.

If the device you are using is still running fine and the battery can last all day, then there is no reason to buy it in a hurry. The price increase next year is the price of a new machine. Your old machine doesn't get more expensive or worse on its own. Replacing the battery is much cheaper than the difference in exchanging the device.

If you are planning to buy in the next few months, for example waiting for the regular Galaxy S27 or iPhone 18, then I think you should consider buying the device on sale right now. The 2026 model has already suffered an increase in RAM prices, but has not yet received the OLED increase in 2027. Waiting for a new device will get a new chip, a bigger battery, but it is likely to be more expensive. The 2026 model machines are occasionally discounted under promotions, while new machines are almost not.

If you want to save money, Android Authority also suggests that many people will switch to buying used devices. I find it reasonable, especially with flagship devices from a generation or two ago, the hardware is still redundant for most people.

How ​​much capacity should I buy

With the iPhone, the capacity increase is where Apple profits the most, so I think you should choose the version that is enough to use, not the extra one just to be sure. Most devices this year start at 256GB, both iPhone 18 Pro and Galaxy S27. For people who take photos, use social networks, and install a few games, 256GB is enough, especially if you pay for iCloud or Google One to push photos to the cloud.

512GB is suitable for those who shoot a lot of 4K videos, keep the device for 4 or 5 years and do not want to pay for cloud storage. 1TB is only worth it if you shoot professional videos on your phone. With a 600 USD difference on the iPhone 18 Pro, you should ask yourself carefully whether you can really fill 1TB or not.

One more thing: the phone's memory cannot be upgraded after purchase. So if you know for sure you will need 512GB, buy it from the beginning, don't buy the small version and then have to change your device a few months later. How many GB are you using and how much free space do you have?

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