iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra Prices Could Be Much Higher This Year

Apple's September 9 event will be a particularly important one. It will be the first major Apple event hosted by John Ternus as CEO, and the company is expected to introduce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable iPhone, reportedly called the iPhone Ultra. The standard iPhone 18 is expected to arrive at a later date, leaving the Pro models and Apple's new foldable in the spotlight.

There is another reason to pay attention this year: prices could be going up. Leaked retailer information and reports from other markets suggest that Apple's new Pro models may receive a moderate increase, while the iPhone Ultra could enter an entirely different price category.

iPhone Ultra Price Leak Points to a $2,000 Phone

The biggest potential price shock concerns Apple's first foldable iPhone. The device was reportedly listed by Vodafone Egypt at EGP 155,750 before the page was removed. Local taxes and regional pricing make direct currency conversions unreliable, but the listing becomes more interesting when compared with the current iPhone 17 Pro Max price in the same market.

A 256GB iPhone 17 Pro Max reportedly starts at EGP 94,400, putting the leaked Ultra price roughly 65% higher. Applying a similar increase to the iPhone 17 Pro Max's international launch prices produces an estimated starting point of around $1,980 in the US, £1,980 in the UK, €2,395 in Europe and ₹247,500 in India.

That calculation should not be treated as Apple's final pricing, but it does point toward a likely psychological target. If the rumors are accurate, a $2,000 starting price for the iPhone Ultra would not be particularly surprising.

How Does the iPhone Ultra Compare With the Galaxy Z Fold 8?

A $2,000 iPhone sounds extreme until you compare it with other premium foldables. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 reportedly launched at around $1,900 in the US, £1,700 in the UK, €2,000 in Europe and ₹180,000 in India.

That puts the rumored iPhone Ultra surprisingly close to Samsung's flagship foldable in the US. The gap becomes considerably more noticeable in some other markets, however, where regional pricing, taxes and exchange rates can produce much larger differences.

Apple's first foldable is also expected to use a wide foldable design rather than the taller, narrower form associated with some existing foldables. If the device combines premium materials, new hinge technology and a large internal display, Apple could use those features to justify positioning it at the very top of the iPhone range.

Another Leak Suggests a $2,000 Starting Price

Additional pricing information from Australia appears to point in the same direction. According to a post shared on X, the 256GB iPhone Ultra could cost around AUD 3,700, while the 512GB and 1TB versions could reach AUD 4,200 and AUD 4,700.

For comparison, the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro Max launched in Australia at AUD 2,200. That would make the rumored Ultra roughly 68% more expensive, a price difference that closely matches the increase suggested by the Vodafone Egypt listing.

The consistency between the two reports is notable, although neither provides confirmation from Apple. If Apple follows the usual preference for rounded pricing, a starting price of approximately $2,000 remains a reasonable prediction rather than the oddly specific figure produced by currency conversions.

iPhone 18 Pro Could Also Get a Price Increase

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max may be more affordable than the Ultra, but they are reportedly not escaping the increase.

The leaked Vodafone Egypt information reportedly listed the iPhone 18 Pro at EGP 98,000 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at EGP 105,000. For comparison, the corresponding 256GB iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max models were listed at EGP 88,800 and EGP 94,400.

That suggests an increase of roughly 10% for the Pro and 11% for the Pro Max. Using a rounded 10% increase as a guide, the iPhone 18 Pro could start around $1,210, while the Pro Max could land near $1,320 in the US.

Regional pricing will naturally vary, so these figures should be viewed as estimates rather than predictions of Apple's official price tags.

Why Could the iPhone 18 Pro Cost More?

There may be more behind the potential increase than Apple's usual annual pricing adjustments. Estimates from TrendForce suggest that the bill of materials for the iPhone 18 Pro could be around 40% higher than that of the previous-generation Pro model.

The higher component costs are reportedly connected to the new hardware Apple is expected to introduce. If manufacturing costs have increased significantly, Apple could pass at least part of that increase on to consumers.

Interestingly, that would make a $1,200 starting price for the iPhone 18 Pro less surprising. If the underlying production cost is substantially higher, Apple's rumored 10% retail increase would still leave the company absorbing some of the additional cost.

A Higher Price Also Makes Data Transfer More Important

Spending more on a new iPhone makes the upgrade itself feel like a bigger investment, but there is another part of the process that often gets overlooked: bringing your existing digital life to the new device. Years of contacts, photos, messages and other files can make data transfer one of the less enjoyable parts of upgrading.

A tool such as Smart Transfer can help simplify that process by giving users another way to move and manage information between devices. Whether you're switching to a new iPhone or simply keeping an older phone as a secondary device, content transfer can save time when you have a large amount of personal information to move. Users familiar with Samsung's smart switch experience may already understand how useful dedicated transfer tools can be when setting up a new phone.

The more expensive the new device becomes, the more important it is to make the transition feel effortless. After all, buying a new phone should be about enjoying what is new, not spending hours figuring out how to copy data from the old one.

When Will Apple Reveal the Actual Prices?

The rumored prices will not remain speculative for much longer. Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable iPhone at the September 9 event, with pre-orders reportedly following shortly afterward.

For now, the available leaks suggest two very different pricing stories. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max could see a relatively modest increase of around 10%, while the iPhone Ultra could command a price close to $2,000 at the entry level.

That would make Apple's first foldable one of the company's most expensive consumer devices yet. Whether buyers will consider the new form factor worth that premium is something Apple will have to prove when the iPhone Ultra finally moves from rumor to reality.