Qualcomm is increasing prices for its chips by double digits starting tomorrow. Qualcomm announced the impending price hike back in July, letting customers know prices would go up for chips shipped after September 1.
Qualcomm said it cannot continue to absorb increasing supplier costs. "We're just passing through big cost increases that we have," said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in an interview with Reuters.
Apple has been transitioning to its own modem chips, but it is still sourcing modem chips from Qualcomm for the iPhone 17 models. Apple will discontinue the iPhone 17 Pro models when the iPhone 18 Pro is released in September, but it is likely to keep the iPhone 17 in the lineup.
Apple's iPhone 17e and iPhone Air use its C1X modem, and rumors suggest some iPhone 18 Pro models and the foldable iPhone could use a new Apple-designed C2 chip with faster 5G speeds. Apple may still rely on Qualcomm for modem chips in the United States, according to leaked iPhone 18 Pro documents from Tata Electronics.
Prices have gone up for DRAM and storage due to supply issues, which has affected most device manufacturers. Apple raised prices of Macs and iPads in June, and the iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to be more expensive than their predecessors.
Amon also said in July that Qualcomm is expecting the revenue it earns from Apple to decline faster than previously anticipated, dropping approximately 50 percent from the September quarter to the December quarter. He blamed supply constraints, which will reduce the share of Qualcomm components used in the iPhone 18 lineup.
In addition to supplying modem chips to Apple, Qualcomm makes mobile chips for Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers. Qualcomm is raising prices across its lineup, and increases will be negotiated with customers individually.
