Apple has announced that it will hold a special “Far Out” event at 1 a.m. Beijing time on September 8. The event will still be held online and is expected to bring new products such as the iPhone 14 / Pro series, Apple Watch Series 8, and the launch of iOS 16.
Multiple previous reports indicated that the iPhone 14 series was expected to be priced higher than the iPhone 13 series, though a new report today suggests that the increase may be less than expected.
There are a number of reasons to expect Apple to increase the starting price of the iPhone 14 Series lineup this year, from new features to the cost of added components…
First, and most obviously, iPhone 14 non-Pro models are changing from mini and standard models to standard and Max models.
More users will be able to choose the 6.7-inch screen model at a lower price, but larger devices cost more to make, especially the display, and we can expect Apple to “raise the price” on the iPhone 14 Max to make a significant profit.
On the iPhone 14 Pro model, the camera sensor has been upgraded from 12MP to 48MP. Apple will likely provide 48MP images in bright daylight and use smart scaling to create 12MP images with less noise in low light conditions. There will also be support for 8K video recording.
Some agencies believe Apple may ditch 128GB of base storage this year and start with 256GB of storage. In addition, a rough report claims that all models will have 6GB of memory.
The iPhone 14 series could also get satellite communications. It’s not certain, though, and could be limited to emergency distress use in any case.
Then, of course, both the standard and Pro models are expected to see a very noticeable redesign. The standard model is expected to see a reduced bangs notch, while the Pro model will feature a “pill + hole punch” design.
As component costs increase significantly, Apple expects to further set aside margins. it has been learned that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously predicted that iPhone 14 series component price increases and iPhone 14 Max rollout will push the average price up 15 percent this year.
According to previous forecasts, the iPhone 14 standard model will remain at $799 onwards, but the iPhone 14 Max will start at $899 and both iPhone 14 Pro models will increase by $100.
- iPhone 14: $799 (approximately RMB 5521.09)
- iPhone 14 Max: $899 (approximately RMB 6,212.09)
- iPhone 14 Pro: $1099 (approximately RMB 7594.09)
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1,199 (approximately RMB 8285.09)
The latest, however, is that market intelligence firm TrendForce says it expects Apple to proceed cautiously with a small price increase given the economic downturn and declining smartphone market.
"Upgrades such as the first-run memory capacity to LPDDR5 6GB and 256GB, the main camera moving up to 48MP, and Face ID design changes are expected to boost the first-run price. However, under the pressure of global inflation and rising exchange rates, Apple is expected to adopt a more cautious pricing strategy to avoid affecting its sales performance."
As a result, the agency predicts a smaller price increase for the iPhone 14 series, with a starting price of
- iPhone 14: $749 (approximately RMB 5,175.59)
- iPhone 14 Max: $849 (approximately RMB 5,866.59)
- iPhone 14 Pro: $1049 (approximately RMB 7248.59)
- iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1,149 (approximately RMB 7939.59)
That is, the iPhone 14 series previously increased in price by an average of $100 (about RMB 691), while new predictions from research institutions suggest that the iPhone 14 series will increase in price by an average of about $50 (about RMB 345.5), but still.
