iPhone 15 Pro Models to See Major Price Hike Due to Titanium Chassis, Periscope Camera: Report

iPhone 15 family— including the vanilla iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max — is expected to go official at Apple's 'Wonderlust' event on September 12. This year, the Pro models in the latest iPhone 15 series are anticipated to be more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro models. The increased cost can be attributed to the new titanium build and improved camera hardware. The vanilla iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, on the other hand, are said to have the same price tags as the outgoing models.

As per a report by DigiTimes analyst Luke Lin, the iPhone 15 Pro and ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌ Max would see a "major price hike" compared to their predecessors. The price hike could compensate for several rumoured hardware upgrades such as a new titanium chassis upgrade from stainless steel and a periscope camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max that will enable up to 5-6x optical zoom. Further, Luke Lin states that the pricing would remain similar for the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models.

If this price hike takes place, then the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the most expensive iPhone ever made. The iPhone 14 Pro Max is currently the most expensive iPhone model in the market.

Several factors including a weak global economy, ongoing inflation, and consumers shifting their budgets from buying consumer electronics to outdoor activities are expected to slow down smartphone sales in the second half of 2023 compared to the same period in the past several years. However, the report claims that holiday seasons and promotion campaigns would push global smartphone shipments in the fourth quarter of this year.

Last year, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were launched with a starting price of $999 (roughly Rs. 79,555) and $1,099 (roughly Rs. 87,530) respectively. There's no information regarding what this price may increase to, though an old report claims that the iPhone 15 Pro will be $100 (roughly Rs. 8000) more than the iPhone 14 Pro, suggesting a starting price of $1,099 (roughly Rs. 87,530). The iPhone 15 Pro Max, in contrast, could be $200 (roughly Rs. 16,000) more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, with a starting price tag of $1,299 (roughly Rs. 1,06,800).

The vanilla iPhone 14 was launched with a starting price tag of $799 (roughly Rs. 63,700) and the iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899 (roughly Rs. 71,600).

Meanwhiles, analyst Jeff Pu expects Apple to hike the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max model as well. A Bloomberg report earlier also reiterated that the iPhone 15 could have a higher price tag than the ongoing models. Apple is allegedly planning to hike the price of 2023 iPhone models to increase its revenue.