I really hope this iPhone 15 Pro price leak isn’t true

We’re just a few months away from Apple revealing the next-generation iPhone 15 lineup in the fall. However, a new report from Chinese outlet Economic Daily News suggests that the entire lineup could see a price increase of 10% to 20%.

This isn’t great news. For the standard iPhone 15, that means it could start at $899, which is $100 more than the starting price for the current $799 iPhone 14. Currently, the iPhone 14 Pro starts at $999, but with this price increase for the next generation, the iPhone 15 Pro could be $100 to $200 more — starting at $1,100 or $1,200.

And those who are interested in the largest, top-of-the-line model — the iPhone 15 Pro Max — will have to pay even more. With such a price increase, that means that the iPhone 15 Pro Max could start at $1,300, and a 1TB variant may cost as much as $1,800. This would make it the most expensive iPhone yet, and even one of the most expensive non-folding phones on the market. For example, a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 starts at $1,800 for 256GB capacity, and the max storage version costs $2,159.

So why the increase in starting price? It has to do with an increase in manufacturing costs, as well as inflation. Typically, Apple does not sell its products at a loss, so the increased costs will be passed down to the customers instead.

An increase in cost for the standard iPhone 15 models may not be such a big deal, as they are slated to get the Dynamic Island, faster A16 Bionic chip, and other big upgrades. However, the iPhone 15 Pro costing more is a bigger deal, even among the most dedicated Apple fans.

All iPhone 15 models look like they will switch over to USB-C from Lightning. The iPhone 15 Pro models will continue to have bigger upgrades than the standard variants, including the 120Hz ProMotion display, a possible new action button in place of the mute switch, and an A17 Bionic chip. But the iPhone 15 Pro Max would be getting the biggest upgrade with a 6x periscope zoom camera, which would improve the optical zoom significantly.

But will those upgrades be worth an extra $200 more? A lot of iPhone upgrades these days are very incremental, so it’s hard to say. I wouldn’t blame you if you decide to keep your iPhone 14 Pro Max another year, though, unless you really like taking zoomed-in photos.

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