Apple hiked prices on Mac, iPad and more on Thursday, but not handsets — all iPhone models still cost what they did before. But an analyst warns that we should expect the iPhone models coming in the fall to cost significantly more than the current ones. That’s especially true for the iPhone Ultra.
Even so, the analyst anticipates strong iPhone sales this fall. Here’s why.
Why Apple can’t escape price increases
The AI boom is forcing Google, OpenAI and others to build massive new data centers and stuff them with servers. That’s causing a shortage in global supplies of DRAM and NAND flash, significantly pushing up the prices that memory chip makers charge Apple, HP, Dell and others.
As a result, many PC makers began raising the prices charged to consumers months ago. Apple finally joined them.
“Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable,” Apple CEO Cook warned last week. On Thursday, the price hikes started, with the cost of MacBooks, Mac Studio desktops, iPads and other products rising sharply.
iPhone wasn’t affected. But that’s expected to change with the launch of new models this autumn.
Analyst predicts iPhone price increases are coming
The global shortage of memory chips has been going on since 2025, and experts already anticipated a hike in the cost of Apple 2026 iPhone models. But given the size of the increases to Mac and iPad, iPhone prices could go above earlier expectations, according to Nabila Popal, a senior director with the market analysis firm IDC.
“In our forecast, we had assumed a price hike of $100 to Pro and Pro Max models, and $50 hike to base models,” said Popal. “However, seeing the price hikes today to iPad and Macs going as high as $300 for some models, my personal instinct says the hike to iPhones may be even higher than what we assumed — perhaps even $200 to the Pro/Pro Max models. I think the days of $50 price increases are over.”
And those with an eye on the much-rumored iPhone Ultra — supposedly Apple’s first foldable handset — should prepare themselves for a very expensive product.
“The foldable iPhone has been rumored for a $2,000 price point,” noted Popal. “We expect the foldable iPhone to have an average selling price of $2500, with higher storage options to go as high as $3000.”
The analyst went on to predict that because the folding iPhone is already a niche luxury product, Apple will hike its price significantly so it can reduce price increases needed on other models.
But ‘another massive upgrade cycle’ coming to iPhone
The iPhone 17 series sells extremely well, and Popal says the follow-up will sell well too, despite the higher prices.
“Most [iPhone] Pro Max consumers are premium-focused and less price-sensitive, so they won’t be dissuaded by a $100-$200 price increase,” pointed out the analyst. And the Pro Max models are typically one of Apple’s best sellers.
Also, the upcoming launch of Siri AI — Apple’s long-awaited voice assistant with artificial intelligence – will help spur sales.
“Apple Intelligence and Siri AI will be available only on iPhone 15 Pro models and onwards,” said Popal. “To put it in perspective, 54% of iPhones shipped since 2022 will not have the new Siri, and their users will itch for an upgrade. Anyone with an iPhone 15 or older that didn’t upgrade to the 17 last year is likely to upgrade this year.”
These factors make her very optimistic about Apple in the coming months.
“All these point to another massive upgrade cycle for Apple this year and in 2027,” said the IDC analyst.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 26 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
