Apple last hiked the price of its premium iPhone models with the launch of the iPhone X.
iPhone 14 series was launched in September last year
Photo Credit: Apple
iPhone 15 series — comprising the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max — is likely to be unveiled sometime in September this year, based on the Cupertino company's previous launch schedules. However, unlike previous models, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will come with a higher price tag, an analyst has claimed. The price increase could be attributed to several leaked hardware upgrades, including a periscope camera, titanium frame, solid-state buttons, and more RAM. The iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to be powered by a next-generation A17 Bionic chip.
A report by MacRumors citing a research note by analyst Jeff Pu, claims that the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models will be more expensive this year. The analyst says that the increased cost may be because of several rumoured hardware upgrades. These upgrades could include a periscope lens, a new titanium frame, solid-state buttons with haptic feedback from additional Taptic Engines, an A17 Bionic chip, and increased RAM.
Over the last five years, Apple has managed to keep the starting price of its iPhone Pro models unchanged in the US. Due to the strong dollar, the latest iPhone models have become more expensive for buyers in countries outside the US. If the new report turns out to be true, it would be the first price increase of iPhone models in the US since the iPhone X was announced in 2017.
In the US market, the iPhone 14 Pro was launched at $999 (roughly Rs. 79,555) while the iPhone 14 Pro Max was priced at $1099 (roughly Rs. 87,530). The vanilla iPhone 14 price starts at $799 (roughly Rs. 63,700) and the iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899 (roughly Rs. 71,600).
In India, iPhone 14 Pro pricing starts at Rs. 1,29,900 with the top-of-the-line iPhone 14 Pro Max priced at Rs. 1,39,900. The iPhone 14 is currently available for Rs. 79,900 while the iPhone 14 Plus sells for Rs. 89,900.
This is not the first time Apple has been rumoured to increase pricing for its iPhone 15 Pro models. In January, a Weibo report suggested that iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models could be priced higher than the existing iPhone 14 Pro models. It claimed that a price increase has been done to “widen the gap” between the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models and the iPhone 15 Plus model.
Apple is expected to release the iPhone 15 series in September this year. However, no date has yet been revealed by the Cupertino company.
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