TL; DR
- iPhone 18 Pro’s 256GB variant could cost $1,349-$1,399, up $250-300 from the iPhone 17 Pro.
- Design and display sizes are expected to stay largely unchanged from the current generation.
- The Pro Max may get a variable aperture camera, a 5,100-5,200mAh battery, and Apple’s C2 modem.
Apple already raised prices across its Mac, iPad, and Apple TV lineup earlier this year, with India hit with the worst hike. However, the iPhone 18 Pro, expected in September 2026, could see a far steeper jump than that precedent suggested.
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Why The Price Could Climb By $300
Analyst Jeff Pu, who in February expected the base 256GB iPhone 18 Pro to match the iPhone 17 Pro’s price, has now revised that view. He points to rising DRAM and NAND memory costs, plus the higher production cost of the 2nm A20 Pro chip, as reasons the price could rise $250-300, putting the 256GB model at $1,349-$1,399 in the US.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman corroborates a price increase but expects something closer to the $100-200 range seen on recent Mac and iPad hikes. Either way, buyers should expect this to be Apple’s most expensive Pro cycle yet. I’m expecting the price to go up by around $200 to $300 for the beeline variant. The iPhone 18 Pro Max, meanwhile, could also get a similar price revision.
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| Model | iPhone 17 Pro Starting Price (256GB) | Expected Price Hike | Effective Expected Price (iPhone 18 Pro Series) |
| iPhone 18 Pro | $1,099 | +$250 to +$300 (Jeff Pu estimate) (+$100 to +$200 per Bloomberg) | $1,349 – $1,399 (Jeff Pu) ($1,199 – $1,299 per Bloomberg) |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | $1,199 | +$250 to +$300 (Similar revision expected) | $1,449 – $1,499 |
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iPhone 18 Pro: Everything Else We Know
The latest supply chain leaks suggest Apple may reuse iPhone 17 Pro’s Dynamic Island molds largely unchanged, with only the rear camera plateau potentially thickening slightly. Display sizes stay put too: 6.3-inch for the Pro and 6.9-inch for the Pro Max.
The A20 Pro, Apple’s first 2nm chip, reportedly uses Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module packaging to bring the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and memory physically closer together. This should result in exceptional efficiency gains compared to the A19 Pro chip on the iPhone 17 Pro series.
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The Pro Max is tipped to debut a variable aperture main camera, a first for any iPhone. Furthermore, the Pro Max’s battery could reach 5,100-5,200mAh, a meaningful step up in effective battery life.
| Feature | Rumored iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max |
| Price (256GB) | $1,349–$1,399 (up $250-300) |
| Chip | A20 Pro, 2nm, WMCM packaging |
| Display | 6.3-inch / 6.9-inch, unchanged |
| Camera | Variable aperture (Pro Max only) |
| Battery (Pro Max) | 5,100–5,200mAh |
| Modem | Apple C2, satellite internet |
| Launch | September 2026 |
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What I’m most concerned about is the iPhone Fold or the iPhone Ultra. If the iPhone 18 Pro debuts around $1,299 to $1,399, the first foldable iPhone could be the most expensive foldable, and, by extension, the most expensive iPhone there has ever been. All the reasons affecting the iPhone 18 Pro’s price apply directly to the foldable iPhone as well. It could very well start at over $2,000 for the base variant.
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