Jeff Pu says Apple will use "aggressive pricing" for its upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models and predicts the iPhone 18 Pro will start at $1,099 while the Apple Iphone 18 Pro Max will start at $1,199.
Pu specifically called the tactic an "aggressive pricing strategy" for at least the base models, a forecast that lands as the company prepares to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and an iPhone Ultra at an iPhone 18 unveiling this fall.
The price figures are the clearest signal so far that Apple may try to hold entry-level costs steady even as it tweaks higher-capacity tiers: reports say Apple may increase prices on its higher storage tiers while keeping base-model pricing intact.
Those base numbers—$1,099 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max—would position Apple to match or undercut some expectation-driven upward pressure in the premium phone market, even as Android manufacturers have begun raising prices elsewhere.
Design and hardware details emerging from other reports build the picture of how Apple might justify those prices. RS Web Solutions says the iPhone 18 Pro Max will return an "Obsidian" black finish and will be offered in black, dark purple, light blue and silver. The same report says the handset will use an LTPO Plus display, shrink Dynamic Island by roughly one-third, sport a frosted ceramic glass rear and run on an A20 Pro chip reportedly built on an advanced 2nm process.
The combination of a smaller Dynamic Island and a frosted ceramic back suggests Apple continues to focus on premium materials and subtle design shifts rather than dramatic visual overhauls. The A20 Pro's 2nm manufacturing claim, if borne out in final specifications, would mark a notable chipset advance and help justify higher prices for upper storage models.
Context matters: rising memory costs and stronger demand for AI-capable hardware have pushed component prices higher across the market, and some Android manufacturers have already passed increases to consumers. Analysts warn that the memory cost squeeze could shrink the Android market this year, with some budget models unlikely to be produced because of the cost crunch.
That is the tension at the center of Apple's strategy. Ming-Chi Kuo has previously reported that Apple wants to keep its entry models the same price as last year, which aligns with Pu's prediction for the base tiers. Yet the same forces pushing prices up elsewhere make higher storage tiers a convenient place to recoup costs, and reports already suggest Apple may do exactly that.
Apple's decision will ripple through a market where manufacturers face a choice: raise starting prices, cut margins, or shift more of the cost burden to premium configurations. If Apple holds $1,099 and $1,199 entry points while pushing up prices on larger drives, it could tighten competitive pressure on Android makers already grappling with higher components costs.
What happens next is straightforward: Apple will reveal final pricing, color lineup and specs at its fall unveiling, and the market will test whether an "aggressive pricing strategy" on base models can coexist with higher prices for top-tier storage and advanced chipsets. For now, Jeff Pu's prediction sets the expectation that Apple intends to make the cheapest Pro models feel like bargains even as the industry-wide memory squeeze reshapes device pricing.
