The iPhone 15 Pro could be Apple’s most expensive smartphone, rumors suggest

Apple fans may want to start saving their money for what could be the most expensive iPhone ever.

According to Hong Kong-based Apple analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be more expensive than previous Pro models.

Apple raised prices for the two Pro models this year because of major hardware updates, including a titanium frame and an A17 Bionic chip, he claims.

While Pu didn’t reveal exact price tags, it’s worth noting that last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max started at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively.

Rumors about the iPhone 15 are heating up ahead of a September launch, following what may be the best view of the device yet.

According to Hong Kong-based Apple analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be more expensive than previous Pro models. Pictured is last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max

The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max can be seen at an Apple store in New York, September 16, 2022. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max start at £1,099/$999 and £1,199/$1,099, respectively respectively – but Apple is reportedly raising prices for next-generation iPhone 15 Pro models

Pu’s predictions – said to be detailed in a document seen by MacRumors – are confirmed in an unverified post on Chinese social media site Weibo by a user called ‘Technology window’.

The Weibo post says: ‘Apple will increase the price of the iPhone 15 Pro series this year, further widening the gap with the iPhone 15 Plus.’

Just like last year, Apple is expected to launch four iPhone models in September 2023 – the standard version, which will be the cheapest, as well as the iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

According to some reports, Apple has decided to rename this year’s iPhone Pro Max to the ‘iPhone Ultra’, although it is still considered one of its two ‘Pro’ models (meaning it will have more power and greater capability, as well as a higher price-tag).

Different sources are divided on whether the prices for the iPhone 15 family will be higher than the iPhone 14, although a report from Taiwan’s United Daily News says that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will be RMB 20,000 , equal to $2,900 or £2,300.

However, Patently Apple called this price rumor ‘a propaganda campaign’ started by Apple’s rivals in an attempt to point them towards Chinese-made smartphones.

A YouTube video purports to show a dummy unit of the iPhone 15 Ultra – the most expensive of the upcoming iPhone 15 range expected to be released this September

As the video host compares the iPhone 15 dummy to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, at first the two don’t seem that different – they have the same camera set-up and the same dimensions – but upon further inspection there are noticeable differences. difference

Regardless of the cost of the new iPhone 15, it seems certain that Apple is introducing some big design changes this year.

Previous leaks have suggested that the iPhone 15 family will have thinner bezels, thicker camera bumps and more curved edges, as well as a USB-C charging port instead of a Lightning charging port.

Lightning is Apple’s proprietary charging technology, but the tech giant had to phase it out of its iPhones due to legislation passed in October by the EU.

Pu also claims that the iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a periscope lens for higher optical zoom on its camera.

Besides, the recent one The Weibo post claims that Dynamic Island – a feature introduced last year only with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max – will be featured on all iPhone 15 models.

Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped notch at the top of the screen that hides the front-facing camera but also resizes to show important alerts, notifications, and activity – blurring the line between hardware and software.

Meanwhile, a video posted by YouTube channel Unbox Therapy in May purports to show a dummy unit of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Ultra, depending on which name Apple uses).

The Dynamic Island is a pill-shaped black notch that hides the front-facing camera but also changes size to show important alerts, notifications, and activity.

The dummy phone has a ‘matt’ surface on the back, rather than a smooth, glossy surface, and what appear to be ‘brushed aluminum edges’, according to the YouTube host.

The dummy also has a USB-C port instead of Lightning, which strongly suggests that Apple needs to comply with EU law.

A previous leaked iPhone 15 render suggested it would be the first iPhone without physical side buttons, which are used to turn off the device, control volume, take screenshots, activate Siri and more yet.

Instead of physical buttons that move, the iPhone 15 models will have haptic buttons – those that provide tactile sensations such as vibrations when users apply pressure with their fingers, the proposed leak.

However, a new Unbox Therapy video shows that physical buttons still remain on the dummy – indicating haptic buttons are not coming.

Apple releases a new iPhone every year with much fanfare. iPhone 15 models are likely to be released in September 2023

iPhones currently use Apple’s proprietary ‘Lightning’ power connector technology (top right). But Apple has to comply with a new EU law making USB-C an EU standard (below right). This means that iPhones sold in EU countries will have to have USB-C instead of Lightning – although Apple seems to only accept USB-C wherever the iPhone 15 is sold to make things simpler.

Meanwhile, the new phone’s volume-up and volume-down buttons on the side will no longer be separate, but will be integrated into a long seesaw-style button, which Hilsenteger refers to as a ‘rocker’.

Overall, the YouTuber called the new device ‘incredible’ and ‘one of the best models I’ve ever given or looked at’.

Apple is preparing to release another big product this year – its first virtual reality (VR) headset.

VR enthusiast and entrepreneur Palmer Luckey described the headset as ‘awesome’ earlier this week.