Apple customers looking to upgrade to this year’s Pro version of the iPhone may need to prepare for a noticeable hit to their wallets.
According to market analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities, the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max could jump in price by $250 US to $300 US when they hit store shelves. That works out to about $350 to $420 CAD, if Apple is using straight up exchange rates. But Apple usually hedges and Canadian prices are a bit higher in the event of currency fluctuations. Nevertheless, you can expect to pay more here for an iPhone 18 or iPhone 18 Pro. It just doesn’t seem worth it anymore to upgrade every year.
The projected price increase stems directly from rising component expenses. Apple is facing much higher manufacturing costs for its next generation 2nm processor chips, alongside elevated prices for essential DRAM and NAND memory.
The sharp rise in production costs forced Pu to downgrade his rating on Apple stock from Buy to Hold. He noted that while the current iPhone 17 line continues to perform well, a significant price jump on the iPhone 18 Pro models could create demand uncertainty among buyers. Consumers might hesitate to pay higher prices, especially if the hardware upgrades on the 18 Pro lineup end up feeling incremental.
Even with those headwinds, smartphones remain Apple’s biggest revenue engine, as we saw in its Q2 earnings. The company is preparing a broader rollout of its Apple Intelligence features this fall alongside new operating system updates. Apple is also expected to launch its first foldable iPhone model, which could help support overall sales and offset softer demand for the standard Pro devices.
Are you going to upgrade to an iPhone 18 Pro this year? Better start saving those pennies…
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so 2000 for 256 and 2500 for 512? this is crazy, the fold will be 4000 at this point