The iPhone 15 Pro Max will have better specs than the iPhone 15 Pro
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The unprecedented specs and feature differences between the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro are not a fluke, argues famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in a note to clients today, as they will spill over to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro next year as well.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 specs
Not only that, but Apple's specs fragmentation will go as far as separating the iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 15 Pro in terms of specs, too. Think the rumored periscope zoom camera will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but won't come to the iPhone 15 Pro, while both phones would be powered by a 3nm Apple A17, leaving the 4nm A16 for the base iPhone 15 models, or something in that vein.
Apple, he claims, is trying to raise the average selling prices of its iPhones in what is shaping up to be a recessionary market for the next few years without actually raising prices and incurring a customer backlash.
Right now, the average selling price of the basic 128GB iPhone 14 series that goes on preorder today sits at $3796 for the four handsets in the lineup, while if you wanted to buy the whole of the iPhone 13 quartet at launch, it would've run you at $3596.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 price
In order to weather the economic downturn that may be brought on by interest rate rises and geopolitical headwinds, Apple will try to differentiate its Pro line of iPhone further, tips Mr. Kuo.
Apple also wants to preempt any Android advancements in the high-end of the market that would be brought on by foldable phones in case they become popular, he argues, as right now it holds the lion's share of the flagship phone market and any encroachment would jeopardize its position, given that it won't have a credible answer to foldable phones in the next few years at least.
One of reasons why Apple can do the new product segmentation strategy is even though hardware innovation has become more challenging and the market has matured, Android camp still poses no threat to Apple in the high-end market due to brand value & ecosystem disadvantages.
However, it is worth noting Qualcomm's transfer of high-end SoC orders from Samsung to TSMC, as well as the Android brands/Google's aggressive strategies for foldable phones, may help improve Android camp's disadvantage in the next few years in the high-end market.
Thus, we can expect the average selling price of the iPhone 15 series to climb even further than the iPhone 14 series ASP that "is still about 10% higher in 2H22 vs. 13 series in 2H21 thanks to higher 14 Pro shipment allocation and 14 Plus replacing 13 mini despite no price hike for 14 Pros," as per Kuo.
Needless to say, if Apple keeps the periscope zoom an iPhone 15 Pro Max exclusive and adds other accoutrements to the phone that the iPhone 15 Pro wouldn't have, we can certainly expect an iPhone 15 Pro Max price bump of the $100 magnitude at least, leaving the iPhone 15 series prices as follows:
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max price: $1199
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro price: $999
- Apple iPhone 15 Plus price: $899
- Apple iPhone 15 price: $799
If Apple also plays with the price differences between the storage versions, i.e. ships the iPhone 15 Pro with 256GB of base storage, it could also raise its price to $1099, widening the price gap between the iPhone 15 Plus and 15 Pro to more than the current $100 that what the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 14 Pro command.
In any case, the iPhone 15 series is shaping up to be another long-term strategy shift by Apple in a market that is getting more challenging by the day.
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