The consensus view appears to be that we can expect the iPhone 14 price to be higher than the iPhone 13 line-up – but a new report today suggests that the increase may be lower than expected.
There are quite a few reasons to expect Apple to increase the starting price of this year’s line-up, from new features to increased component costs …
iPhone 14 price increase expected
First, and most obviously, the non-Pro models are changing from a mini and standard model to a standard and Max model.
For the first time, those who prefer a larger phone but don’t need the extra features of an iPhone Pro will be able to choose a 6.7-inch screen size without being forced to buy the most expensive model. A larger device obviously costs more to make, the display especially, and we can expect Apple to look for decent margins on what is sure to be a popular model.
On the Pro side, we’re expecting some significant camera improvements. The sensor is reportedly being boosted from 12MP to 48MP. It’s likely that Apple will give us 48MP images in bright daylight, and in low light use use smart-scaling to create a 12MP image with less noise. We’re also expecting to see 8K video recording. This might seem over-the-top, but just as many videographers shoot in 4K to give them digital zoom and pan capabilities when outputting to 1080p, 8K would give the same options for 4K output – or even greater flexibility if still going for 1080p output.
There have been suggestions that Apple might this year lose the 128GB base storage, and bump the starting point to 256GB. Additionally, one sketchy report claims that all models will get 6GB of RAM.
There’s a possibility the iPhone 14 line-up will get satellite comms capabilities. While this is not certain, and would in any case be limited to emergency use at this stage, it’s still an impressive talking point.
Then, of course, both standard and Pro models are expected to see a very visible redesign. The standard model is expected to see the notch shrink, while the Pro is destined to get a pill + punch-hole design. This is in contrast with recent models with less visible design changes.
Finally, component costs have increased significantly, and Apple likes to protect its margins.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects price increases, and the popularity of the iPhone 14 Max, to see average selling price increase by 15% this year.
There have been no solid reports of actual pricing plans, but it has been suggested that while the base model would remain at $799, the Max might cost $899, and both Pro models get a $100 increase. If these predictions were correct, that would mean starting prices of:
- iPhone 14: $799
- iPhone 14 Max: $899
- iPhone 14 Pro: $1,099
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1,199
But increase may be smaller than expected
However, market intelligence company TrendForce says that in the light of a tough economy and a declining smartphone market, it expects Apple to play safe with smaller increases.
Upgrades such as initial starting memory capacity increasing to LPDDR5 6GB and 256GB, primary camera moving up to 48 million, Face ID Design changes, etc., are expected to raise starting prices. However, under pressure from rising global inflation and foreign exchange rates, Apple is expected to adopt a more cautious pricing strategy so as not to affect its sales performance.
The firm therefore predicts more modest iPhone 14 price increases, with starting prices of:
- iPhone 14: $749
- iPhone 14 Max: $849
- iPhone 14 Pro: $1,049
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1,149
Our own pricing poll does tend to support the idea that Apple might want to exercise caution when setting this year’s pricing. Almost half of you rejected a $100 increase, and said either that it was absolutely not worth it, or that you’d wait.
What are your thoughts? Do you think Apple will go with an iPhone 14 price increase of $100, or is TrendForce right to expect a more modest $50 bump? Please let us know in the comments.
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