Apple 2023 event: iPhone 15 Pro unlikely to get a price hike, will start at $999, says tipster

Apple iPhone launch event: The smartphone industry is abuzz with hype about the Apple Wonderlust event where the iPhone 15 series is set to be unveiled. The Cupertino-based tech giant is expected to launch four devices as part of its next iPhone series - iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. While the standard models have been tipped to receive a handful of new features such as Dynamic Island, 48 MP camera, and USB Type-C, the Pro variants are set to gain more premium features such as an action button, and a titanium frame.

Previous rumours suggested that all these changes could result in a price increase for the iPhone 15 Pro, but this isn’t likely to be the case.

iPhone 15 Pro: No price increase

Quoting Tim Long, an analyst at British bank Barclays, previously reported that the iPhone 15 Pro will see a $100 price increase over the iPhone 14 Pro which currently costs $999. This would mean a starting price of at least $1099 for the 128GB variant of the iPhone 15 Pro. However, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce recently predicted that a price hike for the smaller Pro iPhone model is unlikely, and it will continue to start at $999.

Discarding rumours about a possible storage upgrade, TrendForce also reported that Apple will continue to offer iPhone 15 Pro in the same 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options, but with a bump up in RAM to 8GB. Therefore, potential iPhone 15 Pro buyers might be able to snap up the 128GB variant for $999.

This isn’t likely to be the case for the top-end iPhone 15 Pro Max. As per the TrendForce report, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to get a price increase and is likely to start at $1199, a $100 increase over the current iPhone 14 Pro Max price.

Why a price hike?

The reported price hike of the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be due to several new features coming to Apple’s top-end iPhone. This year’s highlight is expected to be the new periscope camera aboard the iPhone 15 Pro Max that could potentially offer up to 5X-6X zooming capabilities. On the other hand, a handful of rumours have also predicted it to get up to 10X zooming capabilities, which could put it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

While the authenticity of these rumours cannot be confirmed, the Apple Wonderlust event is certainly shaping up to be an exciting event, with products such as iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and AirPods Pro 2 with USB Type-C in the pipeline.