The iPhone 15 prices will soon be revealed at the Apple September event, where we expect to see the iPhone 15 series to debut. And if you're thinking about trading in your aging handset for one of the best iPhones, you could wind up paying more for the Pro models.
Rumors have been swirling for months now that the iPhone 15 series could be Apple's most expensive iPhone range to date. Sources speaking to DigiTimes suggest there could be a $100 to $200 price jump this time around, bumping the start price of the iPhone 15 Pro to as high as $1,099 and the iPhone 15 Pro Max (which Apple may rebrand as the iPhone 15 Ultra) to $1,299.
While this tracks with previous rumors of an impending price hike, there's no mention of increases for the vanilla iPhone 15 or the iPhone 15 Plus though. Here's what we know so far.
iPhone 15 series price predictions
- iPhone 15: starting from $799
- iPhone 15 Plus: starting from $899
- iPhone 15 Pro: starting from $999-$1,099
- iPhone 15 Pro Max/Ultra: starting from $1,199-$1,299
It's been speculated Apple could ditch the Pro Max name this time around, rebranding it as the iPhone 15 Ultra both to justify the increase and better set apart Apple's most premium phone from the rest of the lineup. But it looks like Apple will stick with the iPhone 15 Pro Max branding for at least another year.
With the last iPhone generation, international markets saw price increases to keep up with inflation. U.S. buyers were spared, but creeping production costs, supply chain issues everywhere and inflation with current market conditions seem to have finally forced Apple's hand stateside.
iPhone 15 rumored specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | iPhone 15 | iPhone 15 Plus | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
| Pricing forecast | $799/$899/$1099 | $899/$999/$1,199 | $999/$1,099/$1,299/$1,499 | $1,199/$1,299/$1,499/$1,699 |
| Display size | 6.1-inch | 6.7-inch | 6.1-inch | 6.7-inch |
| Display technology | Flexible AMOLED On-cell | Flexible AMOLED On-cell | Flexible AMOLED On-cell | Flexible AMOLED On-cell |
| Frame rate | LTPS, 60Hz | LTPS, 60Hz | LTPO, 120Hz | LTPO, 120Hz |
| Face ID | Yes, with Dynamic Island | Yes, with Dynamic Island | Yes, with Dynamic Island | Yes, with Dynamic Island |
| Processor | A16 (TSMC 4nm) | A16 (TSMC 4nm) | A17 (TSMC 3nm) | A17 (TSMC 3nm) |
| Cellular | Sub-6, mmWave+Sub-6 | Sub-6, mmWave+Sub-6 | Sub-6, mmWave+Sub-6 | Sub-6, mmWave+Sub-6 |
| RAM | LPDDR5 6GB | LPDDR5 6GB | LPDDR5 8GB | LPDDR5 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB/512GB | 128GB/256GB/512GB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB | 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB |
| Front camera | 12MP(6P) | 12MP(6P) | 12MP(6P) | 12MP(6P) |
| Rear camera | 48MP(7P)+12MP(5P) | 48MP(7P)+12MP(5P) | 48MP(7P)+12MP(6P) +12MP(6P) | 48MP(7P)+12MP(6P) +12MP(Periscope 1G3P) |
| LiDAR scanner | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| OIS | Single OIS (with sensor shift) | Single OIS (with sensor shift) | Dual OIS (with sensor shift) | Dual OIS (with sensor shift) |
| Casing material | Aluminum | Aluminum | Titanium-aluminum | Titanium-aluminum |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
Source: TrendForce
A higher price tag is already predicted to impact Apple's sales significantly. DigiTimes reports the change could result in an 8% drop in expected shipments, although this could be attributed at least in part to a general 5% drop in total global smartphone sales. That still works out to 77 million iPhone 15 units sold though, so Apple's likely to weather it just fine.
Fortunately for Apple's bottom line, the iPhone 15 Pro series could still justify the higher price tag thanks to other rumored upgrades like the Action button, a new titanium design that's stronger and lighter and an exclusive periscope telephoto camera on the Pro Max model. These changes could be enough to convince Apple users to shell out more for the new iPhone flagships.
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