According to a rumor from an unconfirmed source on Weibo, Apple intends to increase the price of this year’s iPhone 15 Pro models to increase the price differential from the iPhone 15 Plus. The starting prices for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max are $999 and $1,099, respectively, so any price increase would position both high-end iPhone models above $1,000 for the first time.
Since the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will gain several features presently exclusive to the Pro models, such as Dynamic Island and the 48-megapixel camera, this year, there will be an even greater need to price differentiate the Pro and non-Pro devices.
Apple is “seriously” concerned about the sales of the iPhone 14 Plus, which begins at $899 – just $100 less than the iPhone 14 Pro, according to reports from late last year. Consequently, the company is reportedly considering various pricing strategies to increase sales of the standard iPhone 15 models.
The price increase was corroborated by a tech analyst at the Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Jeff Pu. Despite several speculations that last year’s iPhone 14 models would receive a $100 price rise, the smartphones remained the same price as the equivalent iPhone 13 models.
Apple has raised iPhone prices several times outside the United States in recent years, owing mostly to currency swings. In the United Kingdom, for example, the iPhone 14 Pro starts at £1,099, vs £949 for the iPhone 13 Pro. Given above-average economic inflation, a price increase in the United States is likely.
Apple has kept starting prices for Pro models unchanged for six generations, but the company will likely need to raise prices to maintain profit margins. It is unknown if the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will also be priced higher than the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, which begin at $799 and $849, respectively.
As usual, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 series in September. All four devices are rumored to include a USB-C port, the Dynamic Island, and a slightly more curved frame, while the Pro models are said to include over ten additional features and modifications.
