A BRAND new iPhone will always cost a pretty penny - but just how much are we talking?
There's been rumours of a big price hike being sandwiched in with the launch of iPhone 15 models, and expectations that it will be the priciest Apple smartphone yet.
First, let's take a look at the cost increase between the iPhone 13 and the iPhone 14.
The standard iPhone 14 started at £849 / $799 / AU$1399, making its debut in the UK around £150 / $190 / AU$200 more expensive than the iPhone 13.
That pattern was repeated across the board, with the 14 Plus retailing for what the 13 Pro Max used to retail at (£949 / $899 / AU$1579), according to Forbes.
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By that thinking, the iPhone 15 Plus should mirror the price tag of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Barclays analyst Tim Long seems to think the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will increase by $100 and $200 (£80 and £160), respectively, according to a research note seen by MacRumors in July.
Onlookers previously thought the Pro Max model would be only $100 more expensive than its predecessor - which doesn't end up to be too much extra when broken down inside a multi-year phone contract.
According to a new report by Digitimes, the “[iPhone 15] Pro series is likely to suffer from a major price hike because of the chassis upgrades from stainless steel to titanium and the periscope lens upgrade, which is only for the Pro Max, for performing 5-6x optical zoom.”
Titanium is strong, lightweight and pricey.
The use of the metal on the Pro models has been cited as a big cost increase for Apple.
As such, the iPhone 15 lineup could look like this:
- iPhone 15: starting from $799
- iPhone 15 Plus: starting from $899
- iPhone 15 Pro: starting from $1,099
- iPhone 15 Pro Max: starting from $1,299
Apple CEO Tim Cook has also suggested that with the iPhone being so integral to people's lives these days, that consumers are willing to pay more than current prices.
"The iPhone has become so integral into people’s lives", Cook said on an earnings call to investors earlier this year.
"I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category."
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