Apple analysts estimate that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will likely be sold at the same prices as before, despite the sharp rise in chipset costs.
Jeff Pu, Senior Director and renowned analyst at GF Securities, predicts that at the year-end launch of the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro, Apple will adopt an aggressive pricing strategy by keeping the prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max steady at $1,099 and $1,199 respectively.
If Jeff Pu's analysis is correct, this means Apple is going against the trend in the smartphone industry, which is facing continuously rising memory costs due to increased AI chip demand causing supply constraints.
Famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo notes that Apple's decision to maintain iPhone prices this year does not mean it will avoid any price increases; instead, Apple might raise prices only for higher-capacity models, a key move to help Apple capture more market share from Android.
Meanwhile, many Android smartphone makers have started raising prices, and some analysts believe the Android market may shrink this year as many budget models are discontinued because they cannot absorb higher costs; in contrast, Apple chooses to keep prices steady to attract users.
Regarding the launch, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will debut alongside the iPhone Ultra, positioned as the most expensive iPhone model this year.