In summary:
- Macworld reports that the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are expected to maintain similar pricing to their predecessors despite RAM supply challenges.
- Apple is implementing cost-management strategies, including supplier negotiations, to avoid price hikes ahead of the anticipated Fall 2026 launch.
- Analysts predict stable pricing for these models, offering positive news for consumers concerned about increasing smartphone costs.
When it comes to smartphone launches, the principle of “no news is good news” rarely applies: a new phone that’s largely the same as its predecessor can only be a disappointment. But one exception, particularly at times of economic turmoil, is the price tag.
Last fall’s iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max were premium phones, priced accordingly: the 17 Pro starts at $1,099 and the 17 Pro Max at $1,199. But there have been concerns that the 18 Pro will be even more expensive as a result of market pressures, and it’s with great relief that we can report that the consensus among experts is now that it won’t. No news is good news.
In a research note seen by 9to5Mac this week, GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu reports that Apple has implemented cost-management measures for the late-2026 iPhone refreshes, with the goal of selling the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max at “unchanged [pricing] or at a similar level” to the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. This follows similar predictions by other analysts, including the well-known Ming-Chi Kuo.
Fears of a price hike were based on a RAM supply crunch, largely caused by the AI market and its ever-growing infrastructure needs. Apple itself has acknowledged that this is a challenge. In the Q1 earnings call last month, CEO Tim Cook said that while RAM price increases did not affect the company in that quarter, it’s likely they would have an impact later in the year. Apple is now “in a supply chase mode,” he admitted.
The cost-management measures include negotiations with suppliers to secure favorable terms (in return, Apple may agree to buy in higher volume) and cost-cutting in areas other than the memory. It isn’t clear how Apple will cut costs on the display and cameras, for example, but under normal conditions, it’s to be expected that the same components will get cheaper year on year.
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max will launch in the fall of 2026, almost certainly in September and probably accompanied by the iPhone Fold. (The price of that, I’m afraid, will be extremely high.) The standard iPhone 18 isn’t expected to launch until the following spring, likely alongside the iPhone 18e.
For all the latest news and rumors, check out our regularly updated iPhone 18 superguide. Or, if you can’t wait until the fall, make sure you’re paying the lowest price on the current range with our roundup of the best iPhone deals.
Author: David Price, Editor, Macworld
David has been writing about technology for well over two decades, and got on board the Apple hype train when covering the original iPhone launch in 2007. He is an enthusiastic Apple Watch evangelist and feels that the HomePod is misunderstood.