Apple has yet to announce official pricing for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, but fresh estimates from research firm TrendForce suggest buyers could be looking at a considerably higher entry price this year.
TrendForce estimates that the iPhone 18 Pro could start between $1,249 and $1,299, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max could begin between $1,349 and $1,399. That would represent an increase of roughly $150 to $200 over the starting prices of their respective iPhone 17 Pro predecessors.
The price projections arrive less than a week before Apple’s September event and point to something bigger than a routine annual adjustment. This time, the pressure appears to be coming from a sharp increase in the cost of one of the iPhone’s most important components: memory.
iPhone 18 Pro price estimates point to a 10% to 20% increase
TrendForce expects Apple to raise prices for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by around 10% to 20% compared with last year’s Pro models.
For context, the iPhone 17 Pro started at $1,099, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max began at $1,199. Under the latest estimates, the equivalent iPhone 18 models could therefore move into noticeably higher price brackets.
| Model | Previous starting price | Estimated new starting price | Estimated increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro / iPhone 18 Pro | $1,099 | $1,249 to $1,299 | $150 to $200 |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max / iPhone 18 Pro Max | $1,199 | $1,349 to $1,399 | $150 to $200 |
TrendForce had previously projected a 14% to 18% increase in June, a range that sits within its newer 10% to 20% estimate.
These figures remain estimates rather than confirmed Apple pricing. The final numbers are expected to become clear when Apple formally unveils the devices.
Memory costs could be the biggest reason for the jump
The most striking number behind the projected price increase is not the iPhone price itself.
TrendForce says the cost of a 256GB memory chip has risen nearly 400% year-on-year. Its separate analysis also estimates that the overall bill of materials for a 256GB Pro model is around 38% higher than it was a year earlier.
That kind of component inflation creates a difficult pricing decision for Apple. Passing the entire increase on to customers would result in an even steeper retail price, while absorbing it would put pressure on margins.
TrendForce expects Apple to take the second route to some extent, absorbing part of the higher costs rather than transferring the full burden to buyers.
That makes the projected $150 to $200 increase particularly notable. Even if those estimates prove accurate, they may still represent only part of the additional hardware cost Apple is facing.
iPhone Ultra could move beyond $2,000
The pricing pressure may not stop with the traditional Pro lineup.
TrendForce estimates that Apple’s first foldable iPhone, referred to as the “iPhone Ultra,” could start between $2,099 and $2,299. The highest-storage version could potentially cost more than $3,000.
If those estimates hold, the foldable model would occupy a very different pricing tier from Apple’s existing flagship phones, even before higher-capacity configurations are considered.
The regular iPhone 18, meanwhile, is not expected to arrive until spring 2027. TrendForce nevertheless expects the broader 10% to 20% price increase to apply to that model as well.
Apple avoided a Pro Max price increase last year
The projected move would mark a change from Apple’s pricing approach in the previous generation.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max did not receive a price increase, while the iPhone 17 Pro rose by $100 in the United States.
The latest estimates suggest Apple may have less room to hold pricing steady this time, particularly with memory costs rising so sharply.
For buyers, the key distinction remains that none of these prices has been confirmed by Apple. TrendForce’s figures are estimates based on the current hardware cost environment, not official retail pricing.
The uncertainty should not last long. Apple’s “Surprise and shine” event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, when the actual pricing of the new devices is expected to be revealed.
Until then, the most important number to watch may not be the rumored starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro, but the nearly 400% year-on-year increase in 256GB memory chip costs sitting behind it.
