Apple negotiating iPhone 18 Pro Max OLED prices, with $200 hike looming

Following reports of the iPhone 18 Pro Max being about $200 more expensive than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, new information has surfaced suggesting Apple is trying to bring the price down. It is being said that the Cupertino giant is negotiating prices for its OLED panels, trying to get them for cheaper, despite the upgraded panel specifications.

The information comes from Korean publication The Elec, and it cites industry sources claiming Apple has proposed $70 for the OLED panels for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, Apple may be able to convince Samsung and LG to supply panels at an even lower price of $66.5. The report goes on to state that every year, the price that Apple pays for OLED panels has gone down, but this would be quite a significant drop, about 20%.

Considering Apple is reportedly using the latest M16 panel for its iPhone 18 series, the negotiated price is quite impressive. The iPhone 16 Pro Max panels were as high as $100 depending on the market, but Apple managed to bring that price down to $80 for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Now, if Apple actually succeeds at getting an even more favourable price, what remains to be seen is how that will affect the expectedly higher price of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. A recent report claimed a $200 price increase, putting it at a starting price of $1,399, but a leaker recently hinted at an even higher price of $1,625.