iPhone 18 Pro’s price tip is both good and bad news
It’s August-end and we should be hearing about the iPhone 18 series’ launch date any time now. However, before that, we have some scoop on its pricing from none other than the prolific Apple analyst, Mark Gurman. Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro could cost more than its predecessor, but the increase may be smaller than some earlier forecasts suggested.
Rising costs for memory, storage and a new camera system had led to predictions that the phone could start at USD 1,299 (around Rs 1.24 lakh) or even USD 1,399 (around Rs 1.33 lakh), which is almost USD 300 (around Rs 29,000) more than the iPhone 17 Pro. A new report now suggests Apple could limit the increase to USD 100 (around Rs 9,600) for the entry-level Pro model, potentially keeping the price closer to that of competing flagship phones.
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iPhone 18 Pro starting price tipped
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering how Samsung and Google have responded to higher component costs. Both companies raised prices on their latest flagship phones by around USD 100, and Apple could follow a similar approach. That would put the iPhone 18 Pro at USD 1,199 (around Rs 1.14 lakh), up from USD 1,099 (around Rs 1.05 lakh) for the iPhone 17 Pro. The iPhone 18 Pro Max could similarly rise from USD 1,199 (around Rs 1.14 lakh) to USD 1,299 (around Rs 1.24 lakh). Indian buyers shouldn’t take the conversions on face value as Apple generally prices the iPhones higher in the country. For context, both the Pixel 11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S26+ start at USD 1,099.
A USD 100 increase would represent roughly a 9 percent rise for the Pro model, but would be considerably less than the USD 200 – USD 300 increases some earlier forecasts had suggested. Apple is also facing higher costs for components and has warned about pressure on its margins, suggesting it may absorb some of the increase rather than pass all of it on to buyers.
However, there’s a twist in the tale. The entry price may not tell the whole story as Apple could use higher storage tiers to recover more of its increased costs. Previous reports have suggested that while the 256GB versions of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could get a USD 100 increase, models with 512GB, 1TB or more storage could see increases of USD 150 or USD 200, as a direct consequence of the memory component price crisis. That would make the storage options an important consideration for buyers planning to upgrade. Anyone who normally buys a higher-capacity iPhone could face a noticeably larger increase than the headline USD 100 hike suggests.
For buyers, the entry-level iPhone 18 Pro could therefore remain relatively easy to justify if its expected camera and other hardware upgrades materialise. However, those who need more storage may want to compare the final prices carefully before upgrading, as the higher-capacity models could see steeper increases. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 series in September.
