iPhone 18 Pro: price increase predictions | News

It was now officially heard from Tim Cook what had already been considered an open secret in the industry: Hardware has to become more expensive because, according to statements, the massive increase in memory prices can no longer be cushioned – Apple cannot escape the development, according to Cook. However, the CEO, who will only be in office for a few weeks, left it open which products are affected and how much the prices will rise. The Wall Street Journal took this as an opportunity to use estimated component prices to calculate what price tag the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro is likely to carry. It should be emphasized that the number games are not based on Apple data, but rather forecasts.

$200 to $300 more
The current iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 in the US. The estimate for the successor model corresponds to a surcharge of at least $200 or around 18 percent. With a possible starting price of $1,399, it would even be $300 or a good 27 percent. According to the Wall Street Journal, the iPhone 18 Pro Max should again start at $100 above the smaller Pro model. Depending on the actual price of the iPhone 18 Pro, that would mean at least $1,399 or $1,499. At the same time, the question arises as to whether the iPhone Fold/Ultra can still be offered for “around $2,000,” as was considered likely in the industry for a long time.

Mainly caused by memory chips
In Germany, the iPhone 17 Pro with 256 GB currently costs at least 1,299 euros, while Apple estimates starting at 1,449 euros for the iPhone 17 Pro Max – the prices from autumn would therefore be at least 1,549 euros for the 18 Pro and 1,699 euros or more for the Pro Max. For the calculation, the Wall Street Journal assumes that Apple achieves a gross margin of around 47 percent for the iPhone 17 Pro – even with the mentioned price increase to $1,299, this would fall to 44 percent. Price drivers are primarily memory chips, but according to Ming-Chi Kuo, the camera system with a variable aperture is also associated with significant additional purchasing costs.