Apple’s next flagship sits roughly a month away, with a September arrival looking likely. Anyone who had already penciled in an upgrade should revisit the budget.
In a research note, tech analyst Jeff Pu forecasts a starting price near $1,399 for the iPhone 18 Pro, while the bigger Pro Max is pegged somewhere in the $1,449 to $1,499 range.
Set that against current shelf prices: the iPhone 17 Pro opens at $1,099 and the Pro Max at $1,199. Should those rumored figures prove accurate, the generational increase works out to about 24%.
Apple already raised prices once this year
Most of the Mac and iPad range saw price hikes back in June, driven by rising memory prices. The iPhone and Apple Watch largely escaped that round.
That exemption now appears to have run its course. The increases look set to arrive attached to the new iPhones.
Everyone’s phone got pricier this year
Last month Samsung released the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, a direct follow-up to the non-ultra Galaxy Z Fold 7, and it came with a $100 increase. Samsung also put out a non-ultra Galaxy Z Fold 8 at $1,899, featuring a weaker camera system and a redesigned shape — a device pitched as the “more affordable” pick.
Talk has continued that Apple will finally ship its long-rumored foldable this year. With prices where they are, such a handset would almost certainly carry an extreme price tag.
Blame the memory shortage, and expect it to get worse
Component costs keep climbing thanks to the AI-driven memory shortage, and those increases are likely to keep stacking up over roughly the next year.
Handsets are only just feeling the impact. Gaming hardware has been absorbing it for some time: the Xbox Series X moved up to $799 this month, and Valve engineers have cautioned that RAM pricing is still deteriorating, after steep costs pushed the company to launch the Steam Machine at a high price.
All of which suggests $1,399 is not where this trend tops out. It’s the opening bid.