iPhone 18 Pro Price: Why Your Next Upgrade Will Be More Expensive

InnovationConsumer TechiPhone 18 Pro Price: Why Your Next Upgrade Will Be More ExpensiveByEwan Spence,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Ewan Spence covers the digital worlds of mobile technology.Follow AuthorJun 07, 2026, 07:09am EDTCustomers explore the features of the iPhone 17 Pro at an Apple Store (Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesAhead of its Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple is expected to showcase new features in iOS 27 and Apple Intelligence, which will debut with the iPhone 18 Pro. While the price of the iPhone Pro may remain the same, consumers should be prepared to pay more over the life of their new phone.The Economic Pressure On The iPhone 18 ProApple must absorb escalating on-device component procurement costs during the initial iPhone 18 Pro lifecycle before passing infrastructure premiums to users.The reduced supply and increased demand for memory and storage continue to impact the consumer electronics industry. One of the most high-profile cases last month was Valve raising the price of the Steam Deck portable gaming console by more than forty% to cover the increased production cost. The extra demands on these base specifications by artificial intelligence will see a mix of lower manufacturer margins and higher consumer prices.Apple is expected to keep the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,099, the same price as the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple will use its high iPhone margins to absorb the increased bill of materials, ensuring the smartphone is a ‘day zero success’ as the community buys the new model. The broader adoption of Apple Intelligence and more complex generative AI will mean some tasks will be offloaded to the cloud. Its Private Cloud Compute will preserve user anonymity, but server costs across AI platforms are climbing. Apple should run these at a loss during a launch window, but will look to recover that cost through a device’s lifetime. MORE FOR YOUThe Cost of Software Pa...