Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro models could be up to $200 more expensive, according to a prediction from analytics firm IDC.
IDC expected Apple to raise iPhone 18 prices, but prior to yesterday’s Mac and iPad price hike, the prediction was a $100 increase for the 18 Pro and Pro Max, and a $50 increase for the base models.
IDC Senior Director of Data & Analytics Nabila Popal says the magnitude of the Mac and iPad price increase points to even higher iPhone 18 prices.
In our forecast, we had assumed a price hike of $100 to Pro and Pro Max models, and $50 hike to base models–-however, seeing the price hikes today to iPad and Macs going as high as $300 for some models, my personal instinct says the hike to iPhones may be even higher than what we assumed–-perhaps even $200 to the Pro/Pro Max models. I think the days of $50 price increases are over.
Apple also plans to release a foldable iPhone this year, and IDC thinks it could have an average selling price of $2,500, with higher storage tiers to cost as much as $3,000. The price of the premium model could offset some of the increased memory costs and avoid a larger price hike to other models.
Apple increased prices because component costs have gone up as a result of a global memory crisis limiting supply. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to have 12GB RAM, so looking to other devices with 12GB RAM could hint at Apple’s iPhone pricing plans. The M4 iPad Air and lower-tier M5 iPad Pro have 12GB RAM, with prices going up $150 and $200, respectively.
It’s possible the iPhone 18 Pro models will see similar increases in price, raising the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro to between $1,249 and $1,299 and the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro Max to between $1,349 and $1,399.
IDC thinks an iPhone 18 Pro price increase won’t impact the number of people upgrading, because consumers with an iPhone 15 (non-Pro) or older are likely to want to buy a new iPhone to get Siri AI. The firm estimates that 54 percent of iPhones shipped since 2022 need to be upgraded to get the new Siri. Customers who choose a Pro Max are also “premium-focused and less price sensitive” and so won’t be dissuaded by a price increase, plus many customers opt for monthly payment plans. A $200 increase to the iPhone 18 Pro price over 36 months is just about $5 per month.