There’s one less reason to expect prices to hold steady when the iPhone 18 lineup launches this fall. What happened with the CXMT dealApple had been testing memory from CXMT, a fast-growing Chinese chipmaker. According to Korean outlet Digital Daily and Tim Culpan’s Culpium newsletter, Apple wanted CXMT to beat the prices Samsung and SK Hynix already charge. It still buys from Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, and it’s reportedly rushing orders to lock in supply before the iPhone 18 launch. But with the CXMT option gone, Apple has one less way to push prices down anywhere else in its supply chain.