Apple Orders Samsung’s 12GB LPDDR5X RAM For The iPhone Fold At 2x Last Year’s Price
Apple Orders Samsung’s 12GB LPDDR5X RAM For The iPhone Fold At 2x Last Year’s Price
Publish Date: 2026-03-11 10:17:00
Source Domain: wccftech.com
Apple’s pre-launch production cadence for the iPhone Fold is gaining steam, as evidenced by its recent order for Samsung’s 12GB LPDDR5X RAM in volume, albeit at a hefty price.
Apple secures the requisite 12GB LPDDR5X RAM for the iPhone Fold at a competitive price, which still equates to a year-over-year memory-based cost inflation of around 2x
According to the South Korean publication ‘the bell,’ Apple has placed volume orders for the 12GB LPDDR5X memory chips with Samsung. Also, given the ultra high-end status of the upcoming iPhone Fold, Apple’s current pre-production cadence equates to an annual shipment volume that is less than 5 percent of the typical iPhone sales in a given year.
For context, do note that Apple shipped 247 million iPhones in 2025. This means that the Cupertino giant expects the iPhone Fold to clinch annual sales of less than 12 million units.
Interestingly, Apple has managed to secure the 12GB LPDDR5X memory chips from Samsung at a very competitive price vis-à-vis other OEMs. Even so, the supply contract still entails a year-over-year price increase of around 2x.
Also, do note that Apple is securing DRAM for the iPhone Fold from other memory vendors as well, especially SK hynix and Micron, in a bid to improve its negotiation position. Nonetheless, Samsung is still expected to supply the lion’s share of the iPhone Fold’s LPDDR5X chips.
This comes as Apple appears to have ordered a 20 percent hike in the targeted initial inventory of the iPhone Fold, benefitting Foxconn in its capacity as the device’s primary assembler.
Bear in mind Apple has revised the design of the iPhone Fold over 10 times in the past five years or so. What’s more, with the device all set for a debut in the fall of 2026, the production of its key components is now expected to ramp up from the end of the second quarter.
As per previous reports, the Apple iPhone Fold will reportedly feature a ‘liquid metal’…
