Apple’s $2,000 iPhone Fold Could Shield iPhone 18 Pro Buyers From Price Hikes

Source Domain: hothardware.com

Apple is looking to shake up its long running iPhone lineup with its first ever foldable iPhone, and the device looks to be a lock for a reveal in the near future after signs of its existence were found in iOS 27’s codebase. Given the details, it’s looking like the company is banking on this new model to do more than just give customers a fresh high-end option.

Forbes is reporting that the new device will be pivotal to ensuring that the price of other models remain near what customers expect. Specifically, those models are the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, which Apple apparently wants to keep in line with the pricing of current generation models that are selling for $1,099 and $1,299.

To make the math work it means that the foldable iPhone will need to start at $1,999 with upgrades pushing the price tag even higher. “The iPhone Ultra is a high-margin smartphone that can serve as a lightning rod to attract the highest and most affluent consumers,” says Forbes.

Additionally, Apple will purportedly be making any new and cutting-edge features exclusive to its foldable iPhone. The Pro and Pro Max models will seemingly see the usual bump in performance thanks to a new A series chip, but not much else, so that the company can hit its desired price points.

This isn’t the worst strategy because there are still plenty of customers who are willing to pay higher prices for hardware they really want. For example, Valve recently gave its Steam Deck a hefty price hike, but that didn’t stop interested buyers from snapping up the available stock despite the fact that the handheld’s hardware is already quite long in the tooth. It’s not difficult to imagine that there will be a pool of iPhone users who are ready to pony up top dollar for the company’s latest and potentially greatest offering.

Of course, the ongoing memory shortage isn’t easing anytime soon, leaving the possibility that components get even more expensive. Therefore, Apple fans should be…

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