Apple has already raised prices on Macs and iPads to absorb the costs of increased RAM costs, but an iPhone price hike is still expected. The competition may have provided a hint as to how much.
Prices went up across many product lines, including ones like Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, and Mac to compensate for the AI-induced RAM shortage. Only the iPhone remained untouched by price hikes, but new premium devices launching in September will almost definitely see higher prices.
According to the "Power On" newsletter from Bloomberg, Apple's competition could provide a hint about where iPhone prices might go. It's all guesswork with no indication of knowledge of Apple's actual plans, but the idea works simply because of the volumes Apple sells iPhones at.
Samsung, Google, and others have increased prices by about $100. The report suggests that means the iPhone 18 Pro would start at $1,199, a 9% increase, which is low compared to Apple's other price increases.
It is impossible to predict what Apple might do here. No one expected the years-old Apple TV 4K to jump up by $70 either.
I expect that Apple will do everything in its power to leave the base prices unaffected since that base price is basically a feature of the device. Higher storage tiers will see bigger price jumps than normal.
The real question is where the foldable iPhone "Ultra" might land. It is expected to start at $1,999, but even then that might not be enough for the ultra-niche device.
Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Ultra, and new Apple Watches during the September event. The Apple Event will be announced any day now, and may take place on September 9.
