After keeping the iPhone 17 lineup free of its recent price hikes, Apple seems determined to hold the line on pricing for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup too. Its plan to source cheaper memory has reportedly fallen through, so the company is now said to be pushing its display suppliers for record-breaking discounts instead.
Apple is pressing OLED panel suppliers to cut prices
Apple is reportedly pushing its suppliers to slash prices on the OLED panels for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. According to a report from Korean outlet The Elec, Apple has offered around $70 per panel for the larger model — though the final price could end up even lower.
Industry estimates put the average price Samsung Display and LG Display might receive at as low as $66.50 per panel for the Pro Max, roughly 20% cheaper than what Apple paid for iPhone 17 Pro Max OLED panels.
Will the cheaper iPhone 18 Pro displays offer lower quality than before?
Despite the lower price, Apple is still expected to get better panels for its new devices. The new displays will reportedly use Samsung Display’s latest M16 organic material set, which brings improved luminous efficiency, longer lifespan, and better color performance.
Yet OLED panel prices have been trending downward for years, even as the technology improves. The iPhone 16 Pro Max panel reportedly cost over $100 at one point, dropping to the $80 range for the 17 Pro Max. This year’s cut is steeper than usual, landing at around 20%.
It remains unclear whether this will affect the final price of the new models. Earlier estimates have pegged the potential price hike anywhere between $50 and over $400, with some of the most persistent rumors pointing to a $1,299 starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,399 for the Pro Max — $200 more than last year.
Technically, there’s little left to improve on the display of Apple’s best slab smartphone. In his in-depth review of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, my colleague Preslav noted that its display delivered an excellent experience, despite measuring slightly behind the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL’s.
Why is Apple seeking lower display prices?
Unsurprisingly, Apple’s goal isn’t to hurt its suppliers — it’s to offset skyrocketing memory costs.
Apple isn’t alone in this. Smartphone manufacturers across the industry are looking to absorb part of the rising memory costs by cutting corners elsewhere, most often through cheaper displays and camera modules. Display manufacturers say they feel the pressure from this trend, but manage it through optimizations and cost innovation.
It’s still a massive business overall. Samsung Display is expected to supply 46 million OLED panels for the iPhone 18 lineup this year, while LG Display will supply another 41 million, according to market research firm UBI Research. Samsung Display is likely to produce 26 million iPhone 18 Pro Max panels, 18 million iPhone 18 Pro panels, and 2 million standard iPhone 18 panels. LG Display is forecast to add another 21 million iPhone 18 Pro Max, 19 million iPhone 18 Pro, and 1 million vanilla iPhone 18 panels.
This is unlikely to make the iPhone 18 Pro cheaper
As much as I’d love the most affordable prices possible, I don’t think the roughly $20 Apple might save on a cheaper OLED panel can offset the brutal spike in memory and chip prices. Still, in the current climate, every dollar counts — so anything that helps keep prices down is worth trying.
