iPhone 14 Leaks Point To Major Price Increases And Sticker Shock
A couple weeks ago, we dug into the iPhone 14 leaks and rumors that have been circulating around the web. While we covered most of the information currently available in that post, there are a couple additional details worth discussing. We recently wrote about how the computer chip shortage seems to show no signs of stopping any time soon it, and now it appears as though the shortage may impact the iPhone 14 lineup.
Ming-Chi Kuo, whose analysis we cited in our previous coverage, claims that the new A16 Bionic system on a chip (SoC) will be reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro models. The non-Pro models will be left with last year’s A15 Bionic. There are also rumors that Apple will call the prior generation chip in the non-Pro models the A16 and name the new chip in the Pro models the A16 Pro. Regardless of what Apple decides to call the SoCs, if these rumors are true, then the non-Pro iPhone 14 models won’t see an upgrade in processing power over the iPhone 13 series.
One possible reason for leaving the non-Pro models with last year’s chip would be to better differentiate the Pro models from the non-Pro models. One could even imagine that Apple might drop the non-Pro models down in price so they could better stand apart from the Pro models and fill the premium mid-range phone category. However, if pricing information from LeaksApplePro is to be believed, price increases, rather than decreases, may be in store for iPhone buyers.
Ming-Chi Kuo, whose analysis we cited in our previous coverage, claims that the new A16 Bionic system on a chip (SoC) will be reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro models. The non-Pro models will be left with last year’s A15 Bionic. There are also rumors that Apple will call the prior generation chip in the non-Pro models the A16 and name the new chip in the Pro models the A16 Pro. Regardless of what Apple decides to call the SoCs, if these rumors are true, then the non-Pro iPhone 14 models won’t see an upgrade in processing power over the iPhone 13 series.
One possible reason for leaving the non-Pro models with last year’s chip would be to better differentiate the Pro models from the non-Pro models. One could even imagine that Apple might drop the non-Pro models down in price so they could better stand apart from the Pro models and fill the premium mid-range phone category. However, if pricing information from LeaksApplePro is to be believed, price increases, rather than decreases, may be in store for iPhone buyers.
As per our previous coverage, Apple looks to be dropping the mini in favor of a non-Pro Max. The iPhone 13 mini is priced $100 cheaper than the regular $799 iPhone 13. The regular iPhone 14 will purportedly stay at the same price as the iPhone 13, but the new non-Pro iPhone 13 Max will be $100 more expensive at $899. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will move up market by $100, starting at $1099 and $1199, respectively.
Some analysts suggest that Apple is struggling to produce enough next generation chips for the new iPhones, which could explain why the company might charge an additional premium for the iPhone 14 Pro models. Apple may be looking to push people to stick with prior generation chip in the non-Pro models by offering a non-Pro size equivalent to the Pro Max and raising Pro prices. However, right now we’re just going on leaks and rumors, so we’ll have to see what Apple has on offer when the iPhone 14 series is officially revealed.
Some analysts suggest that Apple is struggling to produce enough next generation chips for the new iPhones, which could explain why the company might charge an additional premium for the iPhone 14 Pro models. Apple may be looking to push people to stick with prior generation chip in the non-Pro models by offering a non-Pro size equivalent to the Pro Max and raising Pro prices. However, right now we’re just going on leaks and rumors, so we’ll have to see what Apple has on offer when the iPhone 14 series is officially revealed.
Top Image: iPhone 14 Pro 3D render (source: LetsGoDigital)
