The iPhone 15 series will reportedly bring a significant name change next year. Apple will give the Pro Max exclusive features that won’t be available on the regular Pro model. Therefore, the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be called iPhone 15 Ultra so that Apple can market it properly. The Ultra will be the absolute best iPhone 15 variant you’ll be able to buy next year, and it needs a name to set it apart from the Pro. Exclusive features will also lead to price increases for the iPhone 15 Ultra, something that we heard all along.
A leaker is back with actual figures after indicating recently that manufacturing the iPhone 15 Ultra will be more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The Ultra might cost up to $1,299 next year for the entry-level model. That’s a price hike of up to $200 compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Apple keeping the iPhone 13 price structure in place for the iPhone 14 was one of the biggest surprises of the launch event in September. Despite the rising cost of goods manufacturing, Apple did not charge more for any iPhone 14 units. Not even for the iPhone 14 Pro models that feature exclusive components that are costlier to produce.
The dollar’s strength forced Apple to raise prices in international markets while keeping the US prices in place.
Unless the economy recovers by next September, it seems unlikely for Apple to pull the same trick for the iPhone 15 series. And especially for the iPhone 15 Ultra, whose exclusive features might warrant a higher price tag.
Leaker LeaksApplePro penned a blog in Howtoisolve where he shared everything he knows about the iPhone 15 Ultra, price included.
According to the leaker, the iPhone 15 Ultra will cost $90 more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max. A recent report from Nikkei claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro Max costs $501 to manufacture. That’s $40 more than the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
As a result, Apple will pass the cost to the buyer. The leaker said that the iPhone 15 Ultra’s price might go to $1,199 or $1,299.
You’ll get an iPhone 15 Ultra made of titanium instead of stainless steel for that price. The cheapest model will have at least 256GB of storage on board. The Ultra will also feature a dual-lens front camera, which would be a first for the iPhone. The USB-C port on the bottom will support Thunderbolt 4 transfer speeds.
That’s all according to the leaker’s sources. As for the iPhone 15 Ultra design, the leaker says that Apple is still working on different prototypes. Apple might be developing models with rounded edges. Recent leaks said that the iPhone 15 might leave behind the flat edge design that Apple has used since the iPhone 12 series.
Assuming all that is accurate, Apple might have reason to increase the starting price of the iPhone 15 Ultra next year. And considering that the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max have been selling incredibly well, differentiating the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max certainly makes sense to increase the average selling price of the iPhone. But we’re still looking at unconfirmed reports. A lot can happen between now and mid-September 2023.
