Consensus is growing regarding Apple’s biggest iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro upgrades, but one area of contention continues: pricing. While fears remain that Apple will increase prices for all iPhone 15 models, the latest leak is bad news for anyone interested in Apple’s flagship model.

According to a leaked report seen by AppleInsider, influential Haitong International Securities tech analyst Jeff Pu reveals that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever released.

Pu doesn’t name a price, but rises of up to $200 have been rumoured for iPhone 15 Pro models for some time. For the iPhone 15 Pro Max, this would mean a price breakdown as follows:

• iPhone 15 Pro Max, 128GB — $1,299
• iPhone 15 Pro Max, 256GB — $1,399
• iPhone 15 Pro Max, 512GB — $1,599
• iPhone 15 Pro Max, 1TB: — $1,799

While these prices may shock, US buyers have gotten off lightly in recent years thanks to the strength of the dollar, but worldwide inflation has resulted in multiple price hikes for international buyers in recent years, and increases domestically were inevitable sooner rather than later. International buyers may also be hit again.

Pu’s report aligns with similar information from Wedbush analyst Dan Ives, who told CNBC last month that the average selling price for next-gen iPhones will increase. Like Pu, Ives didn’t provide specific pricing, so it is unclear whether prices will increase across the range or be limited to Pro models.

According to my sources, both iPhone 15 Pro models are likely to see increases as Apple continues its broader product strategy of widening the gap between its Pro and non-Pro devices. Their move to a leaked titanium chassis will be a factor, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max will exclusively feature a new periscopic optical zoom lens, a long-awaited feature too thick to fit inside the smaller Pro.

Beyond pricing, Pu adds that he expects the iPhone 15 range to begin mass production in August, with 84 million units produced during 2023.

Despite still being the subject of rumors, the iPhone 15 range has already come in for criticism for being “too mediocre of an upgrade.” This is because the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to do little more than copy the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Dynamic Island Design and adopt their A16 chipset and 48-megapixel primary camera.

There will be bigger upgrades for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max with the titanium chassis, super thin bezels, upgraded UWB, a next-gen 3nm A17 chipset, and a customizable solid-state Action button that replaces the mute switch. All iPhone 15 models will also adopt USB-C.

Will the combination of modest upgrades and higher prices be enough to put off potential upgraders? Given that similar accusations were made of the iPhone 14 range last year and phones still flew off shop shelves.

 iPhone 15 to hit markets in August

Apple to launch much-awaited iPhone 15 series in August along with new smartwatches and more

According to expert Jeff Pu of Haitong International Tech Research, Apple will likely debut the iPhone 15 series this autumn, and the range will likely go into mass production next month.

This year’s iPhone Pro Max model will significantly differ from last year’s generation and may have a new periscope zoom lens exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. According to 9to5Mac, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature the finest camera system of any iPhone 15 series device. The company has historically followed a pattern in which the Pro and Pro Max models are spec-for-spec identical except for screen and battery sizes.

However, according to Jeff, this year will be significant because the iPhone 15 may include a new periscope zoom lens while other models will not.

Although the Apple iPhone 15 series is still months away, a recent source suggested that the iPhone 15 Pro would be launched in a new Crimson color. According to 9to5Mac, the impending Crimson colorway of the iPhone 14 Pro will be lighter than the current purple color variation. The tech behemoth is also rumored to be working on a new Green color version of the vanilla iPhone 15.

Meanwhile, Foxconn, Apple’s largest and most visible manufacturing partner, has lately increased employment at the world’s largest iPhone facility in Zhengzhou, China, only weeks before the debut of the next iPhone 15. Apple is expected to release the iPhone 15 series this autumn.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s “Power On” newsletter last month, Apple is also expected to reveal three new smartwatches this year in addition to the impending iPhone 15 range. Apple’s three new smartwatches are designated N207, N208, and N210.

One of the smartwatches might be the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and the other could be from the Apple Watch Series 9. Even though Gurman did not provide a launch date for the following devices, all three smartwatches are expected to debut in September at Apple’s autumn presentation.–forbes/analyticsinsight.net