Analyst believes iPhone 18 Pro/ Pro Max prices will remain unchanged

Apple recently launched a slew of products expanding its laptop, smartphone, and tablet portfolio. In the current market that is plagued with insanely high RAM and storage pricing, Apple launched a $599 laptop – MacBook Neo – and a $599 iPhone – iPhone 17e – for the masses. This suggests that pricing for the iPhone 18 phones launching this year will not see a price increase compared to the predecessors, or at least that’s what an industry insider believes.

Analyst and industry insider Ming-Chi Kuo shared on X some insights on Apple’s OLED roadmap and strategy for upcoming products. Talking about the new iPhones, Kuo said Apple may keep the prices unchanged, but he did mention “iPhones launching in 2H.” Apple is expected to stagger the launch this time around and bring only the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max this year, with the iPhone 18 launching in 2027. As for the pricing of the base iPhone 18, Apple could choose to eat the cost once again and price it similar to the current base model.

Kuo believes with pricing unchanged, Apple will further expand its market share and benefit even more when its AI features and services fully come into play. That being said, only time will tell whether the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models see a price hike or not. Apple is expected to unveil the new phones in September, with some interesting upgrades, while retaining the same design.

Talking about the rest of the lineup, the analyst shared that the MacBook Neo estimated shipments for 2026 are a bit lower since it entered mass production three months later than expected. Still, it is expected to see strong sales because of the attractive price point. Furthermore, it will still take a few years for MacBook Air models to adopt OLED panels, possibly by 2028 or 2029. Overall MacBook shipments for 2026 are expected to reach 25 million units which would be peak COVID era sales.