How Apple Can Increase iPhone 18 Prices And Boost iPhone 18 Pro Sales
How Apple Can Increase iPhone 18 Prices And Boost iPhone 18 Pro Sales
Publish Date: 2026-05-16 20:28:00
Source Domain: www.forbes.com
People check the new iPhone 17 lineup at an Apple store in Shanghai on September 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Apple is expected to keep the iPhone 18 Pro’s price at last year’s iPhone 17 Pro. Yet, this decision may see Apple’s iPhone 18 family more profitable in the final quarter of 2026, with an extra boost in spring 2027.
How Much Will The iPhone 18 Pro Cost?
As with every manufacturer in the consumer electronics space, Apple is having to deal with the increased and reduced supply of memory and storage. Thanks to their buying power and hedging of raw materials and components. Apple is in a better position than most to, but this advantage is fine, especially with the volume of sales the iPhone can generate.
By holding the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max prices steady, Apple will be able to sell its premium iPhone as a balance of value for money against power and performance. It’s not a unique approach; Forbes contributor Janhoi McGregor highlights Samsung’s Galaxy S26 family following a similar path:
“The South Korean company held the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s price flat in the U.S. while raising the cost of the base Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus. The Ultra, which is Samsung’s best-selling model, was protected. Everything else absorbed the hit.”
And that’s where Apple will find itself. The premium handsets will gather the numbers, the lower-specced vanilla handsets will still sell well, but with a higher sticker price, balancing out the portfolio. Yet there is an interesting timing quirk that could see sales and revenue from the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max climb higher than in previous years.
When Will The iPhone 18 And iPhone 18 Pro Go On Sale?
This year, Apple is delaying the launch of the vanilla iPhone to 2027; the working assumption is that the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Air will launch mid-March 2027, 6 months after the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. That’s the same window as Mobile World…
