Apple faces potential availability issues for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max due to a critical shortage of DRAM. While TSMC has made progress with the new A20 Pro SoC based on the N2 node, wafers are reportedly piling up while waiting for DRAM to be packaged on the chips.

To resolve the bottleneck, Apple is scrambling to secure supplies from Micron, SK Hynix, and Samsung, while also exploring Chinese-sourced avenues like CMXT. The shortage is exacerbated by Apple's strategy to launch only "Pro" models this fall, including the rumored foldable iPhone Ultra.

With the base model iPhone 18 potentially pushed to early 2027, demand for the Pro series is expected to surge. Although Apple remains confident in meeting initial demand, there are growing concerns that wait times for online orders could become significantly long at launch.