Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, along with the company’s first foldable iPhone, are expected to arrive in September. But beyond the anticipated upgrades, one issue may matter most to Apple fans: the iPhone 18 Pro Max could come with a significantly higher price.

While much of the attention has focused on improvements to the processor, cameras and artificial intelligence, another rumor is raising concerns across the tech community - the iPhone 18 Pro Max could see one of the steepest price increases in the history of the lineup.

A new leak from China claims Apple’s top flagship could start at around CNY11,000, equivalent to approximately $1,625 at current exchange rates. That would be about $400 more than the starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

If the claim proves accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro Max would become the most expensive conventional, non-folding iPhone Apple has ever brought to market.

Apple faces unprecedented pressure to raise prices

According to Smart Pikachu, a Weibo account that has previously shared information about Apple products with a relatively solid track record, the iPhone 18 Pro Max could be priced at around CNY11,000 in China.

That converts to approximately $1,625, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max currently starts at $1,199 in the US. In other words, consumers could potentially have to spend about $400 more to move up to Apple’s next-generation flagship.

Prices at that level have typically been associated with premium foldable phones rather than conventional smartphones. If Apple does go that high, it would establish an entirely new price point in the premium smartphone segment.

Still, analysts have cautioned against taking the leak at face value. Smart Pikachu has a reasonably good track record, but a price increase of around $400 would be unusually large, and no other reliable sources have yet confirmed the claim.

While the exact price remains uncertain, many industry observers believe some form of increase for the iPhone 18 Pro Max is becoming increasingly difficult for Apple to avoid.

Apple has recently raised prices across several product categories, including MacBooks and iPads. CEO Tim Cook has also previously indicated that rising production costs could force the company to reconsider its pricing strategy.

The question, then, may no longer be whether the iPhone 18 Pro Max will become more expensive, but by how much.

2nm A20 Pro chip and memory prices add pressure

One of the biggest factors expected to push up the production cost of the iPhone 18 Pro Max is its next-generation A20 Pro processor.

According to multiple semiconductor industry sources, the A20 Pro is expected to become Apple’s first chip manufactured using TSMC’s advanced 2nm process.

The transition represents a major technological leap, promising significant gains in processing performance, energy efficiency and AI capabilities.

Those improvements, however, come at a substantial cost.

Industry reports suggest each TSMC 2nm wafer costs around $30,000, roughly 50-60% more than current 3nm wafers. As a result, the first generation of flagship 2nm chips could cost more than 20% more to produce than their predecessors.

Apple is believed to have reserved a large share of TSMC’s initial 2nm production capacity for its A20 chip family. While that could help the company maintain a technological advantage, it could also significantly increase the manufacturing cost of each iPhone.

Processors are not the only source of pressure.

Memory has become another increasingly expensive component across the smartphone industry.

Over the past year, DRAM and NAND flash prices have risen sharply amid surging demand from AI data centers, servers and high-end electronic devices. Smartphone manufacturers are consequently paying more for these components.

Market reports suggest memory now accounts for more than 20% of the total component cost of a smartphone, compared with around 10-15% previously.

The trend is affecting not only Apple but the wider mobile industry. Several Android smartphone makers have already begun adjusting prices for existing products while preparing for higher prices on upcoming flagship devices.

For now, the rumored $1,625 starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro Max remains just that - a rumor - and Apple has not confirmed it.

A price increase appears increasingly plausible, but many observers still regard a jump of around $400 as an extreme scenario.

Apple has several ways to balance higher production costs against consumers’ willingness to pay. It could adjust default storage capacity, change certain configurations or spread higher costs across different models rather than imposing a dramatic increase on a single device.

But if the cost of 2nm chips, memory and AI-related components continues to climb in the coming months, an iPhone 18 Pro Max setting a new price record would hardly be surprising.

For consumers considering an upgrade to the next iPhone generation, the biggest question may therefore be shifting away from cameras or performance toward something far more practical: their budget.

If current rumors prove accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro Max may not only become Apple’s most powerful iPhone but also one of the world’s most expensive conventional flagship smartphones, potentially pushing the premium phone market into an entirely new price bracket.

Hai Phong