Due to unprecedented cost increases for RAM and storage, Apple has confirmed that price increases are coming for its products. Here’s how much the iPhone 18 Pro is now expected to cost, per WSJ estimates.
Nicole Nguyen and Rolfe Winkler write at The Wall Street Journal:
Apple isn’t immune to soaring chip prices, Chief Executive Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal. When asked which devices would be getting price increases and when, Cook responded, “We’re still working through that.” We’re likely to find out more this September, when the next iPhone and other devices are expected to arrive.
So for now, we decided to make an educated guess at how much more Apple hardware will cost, using the anticipated but as yet unannounced iPhone 18 Pro.
Through internal analysis and pricing insights from research firm TechInsights, WSJ estimates that iPhone 18 Pro is likely to start at a minimum price of $1,299—but $1,399 or higher is more likely.
That’s a $200-300+ increase over iPhone 17 Pro. And it means larger storage tiers, and premium models like iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Ultra, will start even higher.
WSJ’s numbers were reached by adding up the expected price hikes for iPhone 18 Pro’s RAM and storage, plus camera upgrades, and giving Apple comparable margins to its norms.
While Apple doesn’t report the gross profit margins on individual products, the TechInsights research suggests the margin on the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro was a tidy 47%. To maintain that profit margin for the iPhone 18 Pro, based on estimated costs, the company would have to charge $1,371. Because the company likes standardized pricing, the starting price tag would more likely be $1,299, yielding a 44% gross profit.
And this calculation doesn’t account for a potential new camera system that will also cost Apple about 50% more than previous models, according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In that case, following the same math, Apple could set the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,399—or higher.
iPhone 18 Pro is expected to bring some especially significant camera upgrades, but with much higher component costs than iPhone 17 Pro had.
If iPhone 18 Pro does start at $1,299 or $1,399, we can expect iPhone 18 Pro Max to start $100 higher. That would match the gap between Apple’s Pro and Pro Max models currently.
At these prices, perhaps iPhone Ultra’s expected ~$2,000 price tag won’t feel quite as exorbitant.
How high would be too high a cost for you to upgrade to an iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max? Let us know in the comments.
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