iPhone 15 price shock revealed by new Apple leak
Below, 12/11 Update. This article first appeared on December 8th.
Apple’s lofty aspirations for the upcoming smartphone generation have already been made known by iPhone 15 leaks. But according to recent findings, those goals come at a high cost.
LeaksApplePro, a well-known business insider, has collaborated with Howtoisolve to provide a ton of new information on the iPhone 15, including price rises that will probably surprise US consumers.
The bill of materials for the iPhone 15 Ultra, Apple’s new term for its „Pro Max“ devices, may rise by up to $100, according to a leak from last month. The iPhone 15 Ultra will start at $1299, according to LeaksApplePro, which is $200 more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max and represents the largest generational shift in iPhone history.
It will cost extra to buy an iPhone. The leaker explains that this is true even in the US. „Apple has consistently seen margin declines. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the combination of rising production costs and inflation, which causes the company’s cash in the bank to lose value.
Leaks „We don’t know the scenario for the other devices in the line-up,“ claims ApplePro. However, since Apple dislikes having a gap between goods in the same lineup, the iPhone 15 Ultra’s probable price increase from its $1299 starting price to $1799 for the 1TB model will certainly have an impact on the remainder of the range.
On the other hand, you’ll get better value from the iPhone 15 Ultra. According to LeaksApplePro, the iPhone 15 Ultra will come with a minimum of 256GB (twice the current entry point of 128GB), which would lessen the pain of the price increase.
In addition, the leaker reiterates that the new model will have two front-facing cameras, Thunderbolt 4 (40Gbps) USB-C will replace the Lightning port, which only supports USB 2.0 speeds (480Mbps/0.48Gbps), and „it will be fashioned out of titanium“—a material that boosts both strength and cost.
Update on December 10: According to LeaksApplePro, who spoke with me, Apple uses titanium in their iPhone 15 line. LeaksApplePro claims this is totally false in response to a recent leak by well-known fellow industry insider ShrimpApplePro claiming Apple will introduce titanium to all iPhone 15 models, not only the iPhone 15 Ultra.
LeaksApplePro counters with the claim that it will be „Ultra only (maybe the 15 Pro but definitely not the 15 and 15 Plus),“ noting „That’s not true.“
This makes reasonable given the price of titanium. Some may claim that the price is lower since less material is required to create a chassis that is at least as sturdy as the stainless steel used in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, which is 3-4x stronger.
That argument fails since titanium presently costs $35–50 per kilogram, but stainless steel costs $1–1.50 per kilogram. It’s a huge gap that makes it unaffordable for regular iPhones.
As a result, in my opinion, the question shifts to whether Apple will stay with just two chassis materials (aluminum for normal models, stainless steel for the iPhone 15 Pro, and titanium for the iPhone 15 Ultra), or complicate its supply chain with three. Since downgrading the iPhone 15 Pro is unlikely to be an option, this would probably entail upgrading to stainless steel for ordinary versions.
12/11 Update: Today’s information has been updated by LeaksApplePro.
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