Apple Raises iPhone Prices in Japan! Memory Cost Surge and Yen Depreciation Drive Price Hike

Apple (AAPL-US) raised prices for multiple iPhone models in Japan on Friday, May 17, with an overall increase of about 10%.

According to Japanese media reports, the 256GB model of the iPhone 17 standard edition, launched in September of the previous year, increased from 129,800 yen to 142,800 yen—a 10% rise—reflecting higher memory chip procurement costs and cost pressures from yen depreciation.

This marks the first time since July 2022 that Apple has adjusted the price of the same iPhone series in the Japanese market.

The price updates have already been reflected on Apple’s official Japanese website. High-end Pro series and lightweight Air series models have also seen similar increases, with price hikes generally around 10%.

As U.S. market prices remain unchanged, analysts widely believe this price adjustment is primarily aimed at offsetting increased import costs due to the weakening yen.

In fact, Apple had already adjusted prices for certain products in Japan, the U.S., and other markets in June 2025, covering devices such as iPads and Macs.

Apple stated that the price changes reflect rising procurement costs, particularly the significant increase in storage semiconductor prices. With the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) demand, prices for memory chips such as DRAM and NAND flash have continued to climb, directly impacting device manufacturing costs.