New iPhone could cost W2m in Korea — 400,000 won more than its predecessor

A customer at the Apple Store in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul compares the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Air. [Lim Se-jun]

The iPhone 18 Pro is expected to carry a starting price of more than 2 million won ($1,440) in South Korea when Apple unveils it next month, driven by what the industry calls "chipflation" — a portmanteau of memory chip costs and inflation.

If the price materializes, it would mark the first time an Apple Pro model has crossed the 2 million won threshold at its base storage tier. That would represent an increase of more than 400,000 won over the roughly 1.55 million won global starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro.

IT industry sources and foreign media reported Friday that the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro is expected to be priced above 2 million won in South Korea when Apple introduces it at its regular fall event next month.

Apple plans to hold its annual fall event next month and unveil new products including the iPhone 18 Pro. Products confirmed for the event include the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Ultra, Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4.

The iPhone 18 Pro's pricing is drawing particular attention from the industry. Analysts expect the device to start at $1,399 globally, with the South Korean price expected to exceed 2 million won — reflecting local exchange rates, taxes and Apple's separate regional pricing policy.

Customers browse iPhone 17 Pro models at the Apple Store in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. [Herald DB]

The industry is also focused on the fact that a price increase is expected even though the iPhone 18 Pro's base storage capacity remains unchanged from its predecessor. According to TrendForce, the iPhone 18 Pro will start at 256GB — the same as the iPhone 17 Pro.

Industry sources attribute the price pressure to a global memory chip shortage fueled by the spread of AI. TrendForce projects that component costs for the iPhone 18 Pro will surge roughly 40 percent compared with the iPhone 17 Pro, as rising RAM prices from the global memory chip shortage are compounded by higher costs for storage and Apple's next-generation mobile processor, the A20 Pro.

TrendForce also found that memory chips' share of total component costs for iPhone Pro models has grown sharply over the past year. Memory accounted for about 10 percent of component costs in the third quarter of 2025, a figure that climbed to roughly 34 percent in the third quarter of this year and is projected to exceed 40 percent in the first half of 2027.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has also signaled that price increases are unavoidable, describing the surge in memory prices as "a once-in-a-hundred-year flood."

Meanwhile, the specific date of Apple's fall event is set to be announced next week. Following Apple's decision earlier this year to restructure its product launch lineup, the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 are scheduled to be unveiled in the spring of next year.

chami@heraldcorp.com