iPhone 14 is slated to arrive at Apple event on September 7 Next week and while there are big rumors about the next flagship of the Cupertino giant, the iPhone 14 pricing is one of the biggest changes being rumored.
For months now there have been indications from a variety of sources that the average price will rise to iPhone 14Exactly how Apple will get there remains unclear, however. The most popular idea was that the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max would get a $100 price increase, but what does that mean for the standard iPhone 14 models? With almost universal agreement that the iPhone mini is dead with the new, larger iPhone 14 Plus/iPhone 14 Max, that probably does it all by itself as the iPhone 14 Plus is likely $100 higher than the standard iPhone 14.
However, we have recently seen reports that the standard iPhone 14 could drop to $749, making the iPhone 14 Plus at $849.
While we’ll find out exactly how much the iPhone 14 will cost on September 7th, I wanted to take a quick dive into it based on these predictions. Because any price increase will get a negative reaction and this is likely to be a serious misstep for Apple when considering the potential economic crisis looming. However, as I said when I first brought up this topic with the Laptop Mag team, betting against Apple in the last decade and more was like betting against Tom Brady, it’s not likely to be right for you.
Just a little history repeating
When the iPhone X launched in 2017, there was a flurry of coverage surrounding its impressive $999 price point, with the iPhone 8 ($699) and 8 Plus ($799) maintaining their old price range.
In 2018, the $1,000 genie was already out of the bottle, and Apple’s high-end phones took up their now-familiar positions with the $999 iPhone XS and $1,099 iPhone XS Plus. The iPhone XR was the low-end phone on the totem pole that year with a price tag of $749. This is the year we need to look at as a model for iPhone 14 pricing change.
With Apple pushing its true flagship to new price hikes, it split the difference between lower models and settled at $749. That actually seemed reasonably fair with the iPhone XR since it had a larger screen than any of its predecessors (and the iPhone XS for that matter), shared an A12 Bionic processor identical to the iPhone XS models, and the same wide-angle camera as the XS models.
This is where things might look a little different with this year’s split. While we’d likely have the same more expensive standard model with the $749 iPhone 14, we have an even bigger price gap of an extra $350 for the iPhone 14 Pro, and the list of features you might be giving up for the Pro is huge. Once you get to some of the salient features of your A16 Bionic SoC, an always-on display, New Ultra Wide CameraAnd the New wide angle camera120Hz Promotion Screen, New Deadly Notch capsule front cameraAnd the Possibly satellite communication.
Even if some of these rumors are proven wrong, the clear picture we get is that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are more iPhone 13 Gen 2 than iPhone 14. Given this light, is the $50 price drop over current models convincing? Perhaps for the iPhone 14 Plus as there is no equivalent iPhone 13 The model, but if these rumors prove to be all or mostly true, I will definitely pay attention to iPhone 13 Pro Max to honor us Best Phone Deals The page to see if you can get one for as little as $999 after the launch of the iPhone 14.
Due to circumstances beyond our control
My initial reaction to the iPhone 14 Pro’s price rumor was very negative, but I came in a bit with each successive feature leak. Now my opinion will go the other way if we see Apple fail to deliver on many of these upgrades, but I’ll let that go for now. Combined with ongoing supply chain difficulties, there’s no doubt that there’s been an increase in component costs for Apple beyond just the extra expense of some of these new features.
However, I don’t know the average consumer would see it that way or care. The potential buzz for Apple with this price increase is the continuing rhythm of the economic downturn that will strike over the next several months. Apple (and Apple investors) want the average selling price of an iPhone to keep rising. This lineup sure is well set up for that with a higher baseline of Pro models that will likely put the standard models back to shame this year, no budget iPhone mini (even if it doesn’t sell well), and a new model. New standard, more expensive iPhone 14 Plus.
How does this explode in Apple’s face? Well, if the downturn comes, Apple has left itself a very weak mid-range, an area that has become increasingly stronger for Android over the past couple of years. While there are many in iPhone vs Android Trenchers that will never be swapped, it’s so easy to do, and the siren song of the feature-hugging iPhone 14 Pro for $800 or less on the Android side might tempt some to make the move.
The iPhone SE (2022) It would be a potential lifesaver, but despite its powerful processor, the phone’s decade-old design and single-camera setup are quite behind the times when compared to great affordable phones like Pixel 6a phone.
prospects
Like I said at the beginning, the lesson learned a long time ago, and betting that Apple will fail is a losing proposition nine times out of ten. However, every now and then you get an iPod HiFi, iTunes Ping, or a random U2 album popping up on your phone, so the company isn’t infallible.
Much of what can go wrong with iPhone 14 pricing is out of Apple’s hands with economic conditions not matching well for people to spend extra money on the phone this year. However, with so many business deals, monthly payment plans, and Apple’s iPhone upgrade program, the price hike may go largely unnoticed as individuals’ monthly bills slowly escalate. It is a strange thing that we may be on the brink of an economic crisis.