The iPhone 18 Pro is reportedly set to start with 256GB of storage, matching the iPhone 17 Pro, according to a recent report from Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. The firm also estimates the iPhone 18 Pro’s bill of materials will be nearly 40% higher than the iPhone 17 Pro’s, and says a further increase in base storage is unlikely this year.
iPhone 18 Pro storage and pricing
TrendForce’s report says the iPhone 18 Pro will begin at 256GB, the same minimum capacity introduced with the iPhone 17 Pro. The report did not explicitly mention the iPhone 18 Pro Max, although the Pro and Pro Max models have begun with the same storage options for the past two generations.
Minimum storage capacities by model: iPhone 16 Pro — 128GB; iPhone 17 Pro — 256GB; iPhone 18 Pro (rumored) — 256GB.
Despite no expected rise in base storage, TrendForce called retail price increases for the iPhone 18 Pro models “unavoidable” due to higher component costs. The firm said RAM costs have climbed significantly amid an ongoing memory chip shortage and that prices for storage and A20 Pro chips are also expected to increase. In the U.S., starting prices for the iPhone 18 Pro models could be $200 to $300 higher than the iPhone 17 Pro; if so, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max could start at as much as $1,399 and $1,499, respectively.
Supply pressures and recent Apple price moves
TrendForce linked rising component costs to a broader memory chip shortage driven by companies building out data centers with powerful AI servers, creating a supply–demand imbalance that has pushed up RAM and SSD prices. Apple raised prices in June across Macs, iPads, Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini and Vision Pro, with increases ranging from $30 for the HomePod mini to up to $1,300 for a high-end Mac Studio configuration. Apple said it raised prices because of the memory chip shortage, and CEO Tim Cook previously described the price increases as “unavoidable” amid what he called a “hundred-year flood” on memory pricing.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro models in September.
