Changxin Storage rejects Apple's request for a price reduction, with DRAM pricing power shifting towards Samsung and SK Hynix

According to South Korea's Digital Daily, Apple has recently negotiated with Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) on the supply prices of mobile DRAM such as LPDDR5X to reduce costs for the next generation of iPhones and smart devices, but was rejected. Changxin Memory insists on maintaining a price level comparable to or even higher than that of Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, breaking Apple's usual bargaining advantage as an end manufacturer.

The report analyzes that Chinese terminal companies such as Huawei and Xiaomi have locked in a large amount of Changxin Memory's production capacity through long-term high-price contracts, providing a solid price defense line in the domestic market. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are facing reduced supply of general DRAM due to the continuous expansion of HBM capacity, combined with Changxin Memory holding the price floor, significantly alleviating the shipping pressure and price decline risks for Korean manufacturers in the general DRAM sector, allowing them to focus resources on high-value AI storage products such as HBM4, LPCAMM2, and eSSD. Industry insiders expect that in the second half of the year, the operating profit margins of the Korean semiconductor camp and global market pricing power will further strengthen.