Leak suggests iPhone 18 Pro price hike may be manageable, but Apple’s foldable won’t come cheap
Apple is less than a week away from unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro and its first foldable iPhone, probably called the iPhone Ultra, on September 9th, and the biggest question may be how much it will cost to own either one. New leaks suggest buyers of the iPhone 18 Pro may have less to worry about than some earlier rumours indicated, while Apple’s foldable could make the iPhone 18 Pro look almost affordable.
iPhone Ultra price leaked in Egypt
The foldable iPhone Ultra has been rumoured to cost anywhere from USD 2,000 (around Rs 1.89 lakh) to USD 2,500 (around Rs 2.36 lakh) in the US, but recent leaks point towards the lower end of that range. Vodafone Egypt briefly listed (via) the iPhone Ultra at 155,750 Egyptian pounds (around Rs 2.89 lakh). To provide some context, the iPhone 17 Pro is currently listed for 88,799 Egyptian pounds (around Rs 1.65 lakh). That makes the foldable around 75 percent more expensive. A separate Australian leak claims a starting price of AUD 3,699 (around Rs 2,52 lakh), versus AUD 1,999 for the iPhone 17 Pro (around Rs 1.36 lakh), suggesting an even larger gap of around 85 percent.
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If those comparisons carry over to the US, a USD 1,999 (around Rs 1.88 lakh) starting price looks plausible. TrendForce has a slightly higher estimate of USD 2,099 (around Rs 1.98 lakh). That would put Apple’s foldable above the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which starts at USD 1,899.99 (Rs 1,79,999 in India), and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold at USD 1,899 (Rs 1,86,999 in India). Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra starts at USD 2,099.99 (Rs 1,99,999 in India) and reportedly offers stronger cameras, displays and battery life. Buyers should note that India prices are generally higher than directly converted US prices.
Apple will have the iOS advantage that none of those phones can match. That could make the premium easier to swallow for existing iPhone users, but buyers who simply want the best foldable hardware may get more for their money elsewhere.
iPhone 18 Pro price hike
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max could be a less painful proposition. A leak from Egypt puts them at 98,000 and 105,000 Egyptian pounds (around Rs 1.8 lakh to Rs 1.95 lakh), respectively, around 10 percent and 11 percent above last year’s models. If Apple applies a similar increase in the US, the iPhone 18 Pro could start at around USD 1,099 (around Rs 1.03 lakh) and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at USD 1,299 (around Rs 1.23 lakh). That would mean a USD 100 increase for each model, which has been tipped in the past.
TrendForce expects a bigger increase of USD 149 to USD 200 (around Rs 14,000 to Rs 19,000), but even that would leave the phones below the more aggressive predictions.
A USD 1,299 iPhone 18 Pro Max would also put it level with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s starting price. For buyers choosing between the two, the final camera, display and performance differences will likely matter more than a relatively small price gap. With the launch less than a week away, waiting for Apple’s official prices makes more sense than paying attention to the wildest rumours. The Pro models may get a manageable increase, but anyone hoping to buy Apple’s first foldable should prepare for a very different kind of iPhone bill.
