Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Costs $100 More

Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Costs $100 More

iPhone 18 Pro smartphone shown from the rear, featuring the distinctive camera module
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro, unveiled at the 'Surprise and Shine' event with a $100 price increase from the prior generation.Illustration: The Frank

The News

Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its "Surprise and Shine" event at Apple Park, and both cost $100 more than the phones they replace.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, up from $1,099 and $1,199 for the iPhone 17 Pro line, Gizmodo reported. In Britain the phone starts at £1,299, which the Daily Mail called the most expensive iPhone yet.

Business Insider reported the increase reflects a global memory shortage that has squeezed even Apple. Gizmodo noted Apple did not give a reason for the higher prices.

What You Get

The new A20 chip has a 6-core CPU Apple says is up to 20% faster and a 7-core GPU up to 40% faster, with a 32-core Neural Engine carrying twice the compute power of the previous generation, according to Gizmodo.

Both models add a variable aperture on the main camera for better portrait and low-light shots, plus a "Pro mode" for manual control of aperture and shutter speed. The Dynamic Island is smaller and now supports three activities instead of two.

Apple claims up to 38 hours of video playback on the Pro and 45 hours on the Pro Max, a vapor cooling chamber three times larger than the iPhone 17 Pro's, and wireless charging to 50% in 15 minutes. The new burgundy color replaces last year's Cosmic Orange, alongside deep black, glacier and silver.

Gizmodo reported there is no standard iPhone 18 this year — just the two Pro models. Business Insider said Apple has yet to announce an entry-level iPhone 18.

Timeline

June 2026

Apple raises iPad prices by up to 25% and Mac prices by as much as 20%, Business Insider reported. iPhone prices are left unchanged at the time.

July 2026

Google's vice president of devices and services, Shakil Barkat, says ahead of the Pixel 11 launch that "there's never been an increase in memory prices like the world's going through right now." Google adds $100 to the Pixel 11 while doubling the baseline storage.

Sept. 9, 2026

Apple unveils the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max at its "Surprise and Shine" event, $100 above the prior generation.

Sept. 12, 2026

Preorders open.

Sept. 18, 2026

The phones go on sale.

Reactions

Tim Cook, in what Business Insider described as his final earnings call as CEO, said Apple had "reluctantly raised prices" on iPads and MacBooks because of the memory shortage. "We did it because we're in what I would characterize as a 100-year flood on the memory pricing with exponential increases in memory prices," Cook said.

Apple's rivals have said the same. Officials at Samsung and Google have attributed smartphone price increases in part to rising memory costs, Business Insider reported.

Coverage of the launch itself was warmer on the hardware. The Sun called it a "blockbuster launch" with a "mind-blowing camera upgrade," and The Independent described the device as aimed at turning the iPhone into an AI hub for a user's whole life.

What's Next

Preorders begin Sept. 12 and the phones reach buyers Sept. 18.

Apple has not announced an entry-level iPhone 18, per Business Insider, leaving open whether a cheaper model follows later this year.

The bigger question for consumers is whether memory prices keep climbing. Apple, Samsung and Google have all raised device prices this year and none has said the increases are temporary.

Poll

Would you pay $1,199 for the new iPhone 18 Pro?

Yes — the upgrades are worth it
0.0%
No — too expensive
0.0%
I'll wait for a cheaper model
0.0%
I don't buy iPhones
0.0%

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