Apple’s much-anticipated entry into the foldable phone market will source memory components from Samsung Electronics, according to recent reports. The new foldable iPhone, expected to launch later this year to rival Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Google’s Pixel 11 Pro Fold, will feature 12GB of Samsung’s LPDDR5X RAM. This development underlines the deepening ties between Apple and Samsung, two companies that are usually fierce competitors in the smartphone arena.
Samsung will supply the majority of these memory chips, outperforming other suppliers such as Micron and SK Hynix thanks to its superior production capacity. Despite the general chip supply crunch that has driven prices up-doubling them compared to last year-Apple has negotiated relatively favorable pricing due to its large-volume orders, reportedly paying nearly half the cost charged to other buyers.
The current chip shortage stems from high demand among cloud giants and AI-driven enterprises like Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Google, which are snapping up large quantities of memory for data centers and AI accelerators, leaving less available for consumer electronics makers.
This reliance on Samsung’s memory chips highlights Apple’s continued strategy of sourcing components from its longstanding rival when it benefits product performance and supply chain stability. Samsung already provides the foldable OLED panels for the foldable iPhone, indicating a close-knit supply relationship for this flagship device.