Apple is considering raising the price of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, according to a new report from Bloomberg. As a reminder, the iPhone 14 Pro currently starts at $999 and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099. The price of the lower-end iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus would remain the same.
Overall, the publication says Apple expects to ship about the same number of iPhone 15 units as iPhone 14, with a target of around 85 million for this calendar year. Steady unit sales combined with a price jump for the Pro models will see overall iPhone revenue increase.
Stable unit shipments will represent good news for AAPL investors, as it means Apple expects consumer demand for iPhone to remain strong through the next cycle. A price bump for the Pro models also suggests resilient consumer demand.
On a quarterly earnings call earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested that customers are willing to splash out to get the best iPhone possible: “I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category,” he said. This was perhaps an early indicator that more iPhone price rises were being discussed.
According to the latest reports from the rumor mill, all iPhone 15 models will feature a USB-C port, instead of the Lightning connector. The base model iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will eschew the notch in favor of the more modern Dynamic Island cutout design first seen on the iPhone 14 Pro series last year.
The iPhone 15 Pro models are also expected to sport a new titanium chassis and latest-generation A17 chip based on a 3-nanometer production process. A new multi-function button on the side of the device will replace the mute switch, similar to the Action button seen on the Apple Watch Ultra.
Additionally, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to feature a new periscope lens on the rear camera module, providing increased optical zoom range.
The Pro models will also feature the thinnest display bezels ever seen on an iPhone, thanks to a new production process. The Information previously reported that the new thin border design had been posing production problems, and could result in supply shortages in launch. Today’s Bloomberg report suggests less dramatic conclusion: the production issue will apparently be resolved within a couple of weeks and “will not have a noticeable impact on overall production.”
Apple will officially announce the iPhone 15 lineup at a media event in the fall, likely in September, as is tradition.