Apple is unlikely to use DRAM from China's CXMT in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to a new rumor. The reason is said to be technical rather than political. Apple is expected to use Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module Packaging, or WMCM, in an A-series chip for the first time, allowing the processor and memory to be combined more closely in a single package.
Samsung and SK hynix have worked with Apple for years and already know how to meet the iPhone maker's strict memory requirements. According to insider Fixed-focus digital, early A20 Pro samples were designed around DRAM from those suppliers. Adding CXMT at this stage would be difficult because a new vendor would have to pass extensive compatibility, stability and thermal tests within the new package.
Samsung is seen as the most likely partner. The company has its own advanced packaging technologies and experience with compact mobile memory. For Apple, which wants to combine the A20 Pro with new AI features and high energy efficiency, that expertise may matter more than potential component savings.
This does not mean a possible partnership between Apple and CXMT is off the table. The source suggests Chinese memory could appear in other models, including the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e, which are expected later. Apple would then have more time to test CXMT modules and prepare them for mass production.
Bringing in CXMT could reduce the risk of memory shortages as demand rises during the AI boom. For the iPhone 18 Pro, however, Apple reportedly prefers the safer route: the A20 Pro with new packaging and memory from Samsung or SK hynix.