iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Tipped to Get Price Hikes Too
Get Ready for Higher Prices: iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Expected to Cost More
Get ready for a potentially bigger dent in your wallet! New information from Chinese tech insiders suggests that Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models and its very first foldable iPhone might be more expensive than previously thought. These new devices are expected to launch this September.
Foldable iPhone: Apple's Most Expensive Handset Yet?
A well-known leaker named "Fixed Focus Digital" shared on Weibo (a popular Chinese social media platform) that while current iPhone prices have stayed the same, the iPhone 18 Pro models coming out this fall "will definitely see a price hike." They specifically mentioned that the foldable iPhone could be 10% to 20% more expensive than what people were expecting.
This isn't the first time we've heard about a high price for the foldable iPhone. Mark Gurman from Bloomberg previously reported that the foldable iPhone is likely to "cross the $2,000 mark" in the United States. If this happens, it would become the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold. It would even cost more than the $1,999 iPhone 17 Pro Max, especially its version with a massive 2TB storage.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believes the price won't be below $2,000 and could even go past $2,500. Other predictions have also fallen within this range. Considering these existing estimates, if we add another 10% to 20% increase as suggested by the new Weibo claims, even the lowest predicted price would jump well past $2,099. A higher storage version of the foldable iPhone could even cost over $3,000!
iPhone 18 Pro Series: Price Increases Across the Board?
Another leaker known as "Digital Chat Station" stated that it's "highly unlikely" the iPhone 18 Pro series will avoid a price increase at all. They pointed out that the iPhone 17 Pro currently starts at 8,999 yuan in China. To keep its profit margins healthy, Apple might push the iPhone 18 Pro to a starting price of 9,999 yuan.
If this happens, it would mean that all the new iPhones launching in September – including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone – would start at 10,000 yuan or more. This would be about an 11% increase compared to the iPhone 17 Pro's price in China.
Historically, Apple has kept its starting prices in China and the U.S. fairly similar in proportion for recent iPhone models. So, if we apply an 11% increase to the iPhone 17 Pro's current U.S. starting price of $1,099, the iPhone 18 Pro could start at around $1,220.
Even Steeper Jumps for the iPhone 18 Pro Max?
The leaker "Instant Digital" even suggested an even higher price for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. They hinted that the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max could start at 10,999 or even 11,499 yuan. They called this a very expensive price for a non-foldable phone.
At these levels, the iPhone 18 Pro Max would be approximately 15% to 20% more expensive than the current iPhone 17 Pro Max, which starts at 9,999 yuan in China. If this kind of price jump is also seen in the U.S., the 256GB model could start somewhere between $1,300 and $1,400, up from its current $1,199.
Why Are Prices Going Up? The Rising Cost of Parts
These rumored price increases are not coming out of nowhere. They align with several recent reports about the growing cost of making the iPhone 18 Pro. For example, the research company TechInsights estimates that Apple paid around $39 for the 12GB of memory (DRAM) used in the iPhone 17 Pro.
However, this cost could skyrocket to $145 for the iPhone 18 Pro. This single component alone would push the total cost of materials for the device up by about 25%. Based on similar cost predictions, Apple would need to charge around $1,369 for the iPhone 18 Pro just to maintain the same profit margin it currently makes on the iPhone 17 Pro.
When you also consider a more expensive, upgraded camera system for the iPhone 18 Pro, The Wall Street Journal suggests a starting price of $1,399 or even higher.
A Broader Trend: Apple's Shift in Pricing Strategy
These latest rumors come after Apple's recent decision to increase prices on most of its other devices this week. The iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch were the only exceptions at that time.
Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed last week that these increases were unavoidable. He described the soaring cost of memory and storage chips as a "hundred-year flood." It's important to note that Apple has typically absorbed fluctuations in component costs in the past rather than passing them directly onto customers. This makes the current round of price increases a significant change in how the company approaches pricing.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Tipped to Get Price Hikes Too" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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