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Initially, there was no mention of iPhones – now, evidence is mounting that they too will become more expensive. Several well-known leakers predict that the iPhone 18 Pro and the first foldable iPhone could launch in September significantly above previous expectations. The foldable model is even rumored to cost as much as $3,000.
In its most recent price round, Apple excluded the iPhone and only raised prices for Macs, iPads, and the Vision Pro. However, several Chinese leakers believe that the upcoming September generation will not escape this pattern. The focus is on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the first foldable iPhone, whose specifications, in comparison to the iPhone Ultra, already point to a premium price tag. The primary driver of this development is the exploding cost of memory chips.
What voices from China expect
The leaker active on Weibo Fixed Focus Digital A price increase for the iPhone 18 Pro is considered a certainty. While the current iPhone models have remained stable so far, the Pro models expected in the fall will "definitely" be more expensive. The price increase is expected to be particularly significant for the foldable iPhone: It is anticipated to be ten to twenty percent higher than previous estimates.
Also Digital Chat Station The leaker considers it "highly unlikely" that the iPhone 18 Pro lineup will escape a price increase entirely. He points to the Chinese starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro at 8,999 yuan and believes a jump to 9,999 yuan is possible to secure Apple's profit margins. This would put the entire September lineup – iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable – at 10,000 yuan or more.
The foldable iPhone is the most expensive model of all time
Even without the new price increase, the foldable iPhone was considered Apple's most expensive ever. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that the device was likely to exceed the $2,000 mark in the US – thus surpassing even the 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max, which costs $1,999. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn't expect the price to fall below $2,000 and even considers more than $2,500 conceivable; other forecasts are in a similar range.
If you add the now-rumored ten to twenty percent on top, even the lowest of these estimates would be significantly above $2,099. A larger storage configuration could therefore end up costing well over $3,000.
Extrapolated to the US market
Apple has largely kept its starting prices in China and the US proportional over the past generations. If we apply the expected increase of around eleven percent for China to the US starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro of $1,099, the iPhone 18 Pro would cost approximately $1,220.
Leaker Instant Digital is aiming even higher: According to them, the iPhone 18 Pro Max with 256 GB could start at 10,999 or even 11,499 yuan – a remarkable price point for a non-folding smartphone. That would be roughly fifteen to twenty percent higher than the Chinese starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro Max of 9,999 yuan. Translated to the US market, the 256 GB model could start between $1,300 and $1,400, compared to the current $1,199.
Why the components are becoming so much more expensive
The leaker estimates fit into a series of recent reports about the rising manufacturing costs of the iPhone 18 Pro. Market researchers at TechInsights estimate that Apple paid around $39 for the 12GB of RAM in the iPhone 17 Pro – a figure that could climb to $145 for the iPhone 18 Pro. That alone would increase the device's material costs by about a quarter.
Based on comparable cost calculations, Apple would have to charge around $1,369 for the iPhone 18 Pro just to maintain the profit margin of the iPhone 17 Pro. Factoring in the more expensive new camera system, the Wall Street Journal arrives at a starting price of $1,399 or more.
A break with Apple's previous course
The rumors come immediately after Apple's decision this week to raise prices on most of its devices - excluding the iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch so far. Tim Cook had previously described the price hikes as unavoidable, calling the cost of memory and storage chips a once-in-a-century tide. The move is noteworthy because Apple has historically absorbed fluctuations in component costs itself, rather than passing them on to customers. If the leaks prove true, the grace period for the iPhone would end in September. (Image: Shutterstock / Jess Rodriguez)
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