Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max are getting more expensive, according to multiple reports. But a new leak has revealed that this isn’t the biggest price shock regarding the two new phones.
In an exclusive report, respected analyst and supply chain specialist, Ming-Chi Kuo states that Apple will exclusively equip the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a periscope lens, used for optical zoom photography. This brings the Pro Max into line with rivals like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Huawei Mate 50 Pro, ranges that have used periscope lenses for years.
The shocking detail, however, is Kuo says Apple has decided to exclude the periscope lens from the iPhone 15 Pro, despite negotiating a knock-down price of just $4 (including prisms) for the module with supplier Largan. Kuo says Largan cannot profit from the deal at this price. Equally odd, is Kuo says Apple will introduce periscope lenses for both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max in 2024, making this a single-generation feature difference.
All of which strikes me as bizarre. First, an at-cost deal for components on this scale is astonishing, but if anyone can, Apple can. Second, why differentiate the Pro Max for only a single generation? Were Apple rebranding the Pro Max as Ultra, as was long rumored until recently, I could understand it taking a new path. But making the separation for one generation is only likely to confuse buyers.
Third, pricing. Apple is expected to increase iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max prices by as much as $200 this year. That would be the biggest generational rise in iPhone history. And to do so while also splitting their feature sets, something Apple hasn’t done since the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in 2017, and leaving one model clearly as the poorer relation, would be a shock.
That said, 2023 seems like the year Apple wants to take risks with the iPhone. In addition to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max camera and price changes, it will replace the volume buttons and mute switch with programmable Action buttons, finally renew its LiDAR push, introduce the first 3nm smartphone chip and use record-breaking bezels in the design. The entire lineup will also transition to the Dynamic Island and an MFi-locked version of USB-C, which is sure to divide opinion.
That said, I suspect it will be the pricing of iPhone 15 Pro models and their feature gap which will really set tongues wagging.
04/03 Update: a lot of optimism currently surrounds Apple’s upcoming iPhone 15 series, but today the company’s display roadmap leaked, and it brings bad news not just for 2023 but 2024 as well.
According to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants and arguably the most reliable industry insider in recent years, Apple’s iPhone display plans have taken a hit. Young reveals that Apple’s plans for both an under-display Face ID module in iPhone Pro models and ProMotion high refresh rate displays on standard iPhones will not happen until 2025.
In the case of iPhone Pro models, this means we can expect a larger Dynamic Island thanks to the hidden Face ID module in the iPhone 17 Pro. Young has previously revealed an Apple roadmap showing it planned to make this change in 2024. Looking even further ahead, Young says Apple will put the front camera under the display to deliver an all-screen iPhone Pro model in 2027.
As for standard iPhone models, there was some early speculation that ProMotion may come to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now that it is an increasingly commoditized feature. But Young’s roadmap also points to ProMotion only coming to standard iPhones in 2017. I suspect this is not a coincidence because only then will Apple be able to differentiate the iPhone Pro’s design with the under-display Face ID module.
Of course, Apple is famed for making its fans wait for new features, and so it proves again.