At T3 towers, we're all excited about the probable launch of the iPhone 15 next week. According to the rumours, it could be a shoo-in for the best phones, but there's one small (or big) caveat. The price.
Are you sitting down? We reckon that the iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the first iPhone to cross the $2000 mark. That's a hell of a lot for a phone, especially one that doesn't fold.
How did we get to that figure? Let's explain. Currently, if you're looking for a top-spec 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max, you can find yourself paying $1600 on Apple's own site. That's for a phone that's almost a year old. There's talk that prices for the iPhone 15 could increase. The Pro Max, the most expensive model (assuming there's no iPhone 15 Ultra) is reportedly set to receive a $200 price hike.
Admittedly this is the first serious price rise for the most premium iPhone in five years, but that doesn't make it any easier to take, especially in today's economic climate where everything is getting more expensive. This extra $200 probably won't break the hallowed $2000 barrier, but a rumoured 2TB edition of the phone would see it comfortably past that point and probably near enough £2000.
Aside from the obvious inflationary factors, there are a couple of reasons for the expected price increase. For starters, it's widely expected that the iPhone 15 (or the Pro models at least) will be made from titanium. While tougher and lighter than the standard aluminium, it is also more expensive. There's also word that a periscope lens could find its way onto the iPhone 15 Pro Max, offering a vastly improved optical zoom. Not something that comes cheap.
Yes, we love the iPhone at T3, but for that money, it might be enough to dissuade those shopping on a budget. It may even be worth waiting for the iPhone 16, which is seemingly going to have the first iPhone Ultra. After all, it would be a nightmare to drop two grand on something that is no longer the pinnacle just twelve months later.
If iPhone prices are going to continue to head in one direction, we would politely ask Apple to bring back the seemingly defunct iPhone SE to offer a more affordable iOS device.
