The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are rumored to be pricier than previous models, according to Hong Kong-based tech analyst Jeff Pu. This isn't the first time we've heard that the upper-tier models will get a price hike.
On Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, an unverified source claimed that Apple plans to jack up the price tag for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Keep in mind that the iPhone 14 Pro models already have an eye-watering starting price of $1,000! (h/t MacRumors)
Will the iPhone 15 Pro models be more expensive?
Pu predicts that the iPhone 15 Pro models will cost an arm and a leg — even more than usual — due to pricey hardware upgrades. The next-gen upper-tier phones will reportedly be packed with the new A17 Bionic chip, more RAM, a periscope-like lens for better optical zoom (on the Pro Max), a titanium frame, haptic feedback for solid-state buttons, and more. Apple will be spending more, so the Cupertino-based giant will want more.
In the U.S., the Pro model's price tag started at $1,000 since the iPhone X's launch in 2017. In the same vein, the Pro Max's price tag has started at $1,100 since the iPhone XS Max debuted in 2018. In other words, if Apple decides to increase the price for the Pro models later this year, it will be the first price hike since the iPhone X.
It's worth noting, however, that outside of the U.S., Apple hasn't been shy about increasing prices to adjust for foreign currency vacillations. For example, U.K. customers experienced a price hike to £1,100 for the iPhone 14 Pro (up from £950 for the iPhone 13 Pro.)
That being said, with U.S. inflation rates concerning economic pundits, Pu's prediction that Apple is set to increase the Pro models' pricing is highly probable. As MacRumors pointed out, the Cupertino-based tech giant managed to keep the Pro models' pricing stable for six years, but it's only a matter of time before the company hikes up the prices to secure its profit margins. And this year may be the year Apple does it.
Fortunately, pricing chitchat about the lower-tier models, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, has been quiet.
The next-gen iPhone 15 is expected to debut this September. Check out our iPhone 15 rumor hub for more gossip on the highly anticipated series.
