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Recent technical leaks have revealed that Apple may launch its highly anticipated iPhone 18 Pro Max at a record price, making it the most expensive conventional (non-foldable) phone produced by the company ever, where the starting price is expected to be around $1,625.
Record Price Increase
According to information circulated by the Chinese platform “Weibo”, the phone’s price in the Chinese market may start from 11,000 yuan (equivalent to $1,625). If these estimates are accurate, the series will witness an unprecedented increase of $400 compared to the previous model iPhone 17 Pro Max, which started at $1,199 in the American market.
Although Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously hinted at the possibility of consumers accepting higher prices in exchange for advanced technologies, these figures remain within the realm of leaks and have not yet been officially confirmed by Apple.
Reasons for the Anticipated Increase
Technical reports attribute this price jump to rising manufacturing costs and supply chain issues, notably:
- Advanced Processor (2nm): the trend towards relying on the A20 Pro chip made with the new 2nm technology from TSMC, a highly complex technology that raises production costs by more than 20% compared to 3nm chips.
- Memory Price Surge: the sharp rise in prices of memory chips (DRAM and NAND), where some types of memory have recorded unprecedented increases exceeding 300% in global markets.
Apple’s Attempts to Curb Costs
In contrast, Apple is trying to absorb these increases by applying pressure on screen suppliers. According to a report by the Korean site The Elec, Apple is negotiating with OLED screen manufacturers to reduce the price of a single screen by up to 20%, ranging between $66.5 and $70 compared to the cost of the previous generation screens, in order to balance the total cost of the device before its official market release.
