Apple pushes DRAM market, sounds alarm for phone prices

It is claimed that Apple is pursuing a much more aggressive purchasing strategy this year in response to the global memory crisis amplified by artificial intelligence data centers. According to allegations in South Korea-based publications, the company is willing to pay high prices to secure mobile DRAM supply and pushes the pressure of increasing costs on operational profit into the background. The important point here is not how much DRAM a single company buys, but the fact that data center demand is now directly shaking the smartphone chain. IDC data cited by Reuters says exactly this, the sharp rise in memory prices will reduce smartphone shipments in 2026. 12.9% can pull it down.

The most controversial aspect of the claim in question is the comment that Apple did this not only to protect itself, but also to weaken the hand of its competitors. This section is not based on an official statement for now, but on anonymous sources and reinterpretations of news originating from South Korea. Therefore, this should not be read as a verified fact, but as a strong claim arising from the stiffening competition in the market. However, we can say that Apple will be able to act more easily than many Android manufacturers in dealing with rising memory costs, because IDC and Reuters analyzes clearly show that brands with large balance sheets and strong supply relations are in a more advantageous position in this period.

In fact, we see that Apple is not alone in this situation. Nvidia’s memory purchases are now nearly three times Apple’s, and server DRAM and HBM account for total DRAM revenue, according to a Counterpoint assessment cited by Seoul Economic Daily. 60%It goes up to . In other words, the center of gravity of the market is shifting from smartphones to data centers. In its evaluation published on March 31, TrendForce stated that cloud service providers locked the supply with long-term agreements, which will increase DRAM contract prices in the second quarter of 2026. 58% to 63% He says he can increase it.

It should also be noted that cost pressure is not new on the Apple front. Seoul Economic Daily wrote that Apple and Samsung are already talking about pressure on profitability due to rising mobile DRAM prices. In the same period, Apple’s average DRAM capacity on the iPhone side was approximately From 7 GB to 10 GB The release shows that the company has chosen to use more RAM for on-device AI rather than reducing the cost of memory. As we often emphasize in our reviews, RAM in current flagship phones has now become a critical component not only for multitasking but also for the continuity of local artificial intelligence features.

Data center demand is reshaping the smartphone market

The big picture here is pretty clear. AI data centers are building structures where thousands of servers work simultaneously with intensive memory usage, and manufacturers are naturally prioritizing HBM, server DRAM and enterprise SSD, which bring higher margins. Therefore, while IDC says that the memory crunch will continue throughout 2026 and even extend into 2027, it states that smaller manufacturers will have difficulty finding sufficient supply or paying for this supply. Reuters’ report particularly emphasizes that major players such as Apple and Samsung stand on the side that can gain market share. Even if the claim that Apple is aggressively buying is not fully confirmed, current market data already shows that large manufacturers are closing supply early, pushing smaller competitors into a more difficult position.

On the consumer side, we will see this in terms of price, capacity and model diversity. Seoul Economic Daily and IDC data indicate that manufacturers will either increase prices or offer lower RAM and storage in the same price range. Therefore, it would not be surprising to see a sharper contraction throughout 2026, especially in the entry and middle segments. From Apple’s perspective, it seems possible for the company to take on the costs and strengthen its hand on the premium side in the short term, however, we can only better evaluate how sustainable this is in the second half of the year, when new iPhone prices and supply plans become clear.