It is stated that Apple is negotiating new prices with its suppliers for the OLED display panels to be used in the iPhone 18 Pro Max model. According to a report by South Korea-based The Elec, the company is aiming for a significant reduction in display panel prices in order to balance rising memory and other component costs. The news states that Apple has offered to pay approximately $70 per panel, and that the final agreement price may even fall below this. Industry sources predict that Samsung Display and LG Display will be able to supply around $66.5 per panel. In such a scenario, there will be a decrease of approximately 20 percent compared to the OLED panel price paid by Apple for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
It has been brought up before that Apple has gradually reduced OLED display costs with each new iPhone generation. Despite this, it is stated that the discount rate discussed this year is higher than in previous years. One of the main reasons why this is remarkable is that the screen technology to be used in the iPhone 18 Pro Max has a more complex structure in terms of production. The company is expected to opt for Samsung Display’s latest M16 OLED material set. It is stated that this new set of materials will offer higher light efficiency, longer lifespan and more successful color performance. Therefore, trying to supply a more technically advanced panel at a lower cost may make the bargaining process more difficult for manufacturers.
Samsung and LG stand out in the screen supply of the iPhone 18 series
According to the information provided by The Elec, not only Apple but also many smartphone manufacturers face a similar cost pressure. In particular, the increase in the prices of memory chips directs manufacturers to seek savings in other components. In this context, high-cost parts such as display panels and camera modules are among the priority topics in supply negotiations. Manufacturers are trying to achieve lower purchase prices at different links of the supply chain to keep the total device cost under control.
According to estimates by market research company UBI Research, Samsung Display will provide a total of 46 million OLED panels for Apple’s iPhone 18 family this year. It is expected that 2 million of this figure will be allocated to the standard iPhone 18 model, 18 million to the iPhone 18 Pro and 26 million to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. On the LG Display side, total shipment is expected to reach 41 million units. It is estimated that 1 million of these will be sent to the standard model, 19 million to the iPhone 18 Pro and 21 million to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. These data show that the two South Korean manufacturers will continue to play a decisive role in the supply of screens in Apple’s upper segment iPhone models.
Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models in September 2026. There are expectations that the company may also announce the first foldable iPhone model, which it has been working on for a long time, at the same event. It is anticipated that the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e models will meet with users in the spring of 2027. Thus, it is considered that Apple can spread the product calendar that has been talked about in recent years over a wider period of time.
On the other hand, analysts think that increasing memory and storage costs may be reflected in the sales prices of new iPhone models. Accordingly, it is estimated that the iPhone 18 Pro can be sold at prices starting from $ 1,299 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at prices starting from $ 1,399. These figures represent an increase of approximately $200 compared to the previous generation.
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