The iPhone 15 is just a few weeks from being announced by Apple. While we heard several rumors and report about the new phones, there are two that I’ve been thinking about a lot these past few weeks.
One of them is that the iPhone 15 Pro models will cost more than their predecessors. That said, the Pro versions wouldn’t start at $999 but at $1,199 – a $200 increase. With that in mind, the iPhone 15 Pro Max – or Ultra – could be placed at $1,299, the same price as the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro.
According to analysts, there are many reasons to believe in this price increase. For example, Apple is rumored to switch from stainless steel to titanium, which is more expensive. The company is also said to be planning new LiDAR sensors, a more technological A17 Bionic chip with a 3nm manufacturing process, and camera improvements.
Even though Cupertino has upgraded the iPhone without offering a price increase over the past few years, the dollar isn’t as strong as it used to be in 2017, so analysts claim the iPhone is technically “cheaper” than it should be.
The other rumor regards Apple planning a storage increase to the Pro models. That said, the iPhone 15 Pro could start with 256GB – and reach 2TB of storage capacity, a first for the iPhone. If that’s the case, my colleague Chris Smith predicts that the 2TB iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost a fortune.
Is a $2,000+ iPhone 15 Pro Max worth it?
Looking at the price Apple usually charges for 2TB devices, the iPhone 15 Pro Max could cost as much as $2,099. But should you buy it?
In a previous piece, I wrote why I believe Apple will offer a 2TB storage capacity. Although some people expect an 8K recording feature, I think Cupertino will bring this capacity due to spatial photos and videos, a feature of the upcoming Apple Vision Pro.
This function captures 3D images, so I wonder if they will require more storage than regular photos and videos. In addition, with the company adding a USB-C port, more people will be able to listen to lossless songs since the Lightning port doesn’t provide the exact specification to stream this quality via wired headphones.
In conclusion, an iPhone 15 Pro Max with 2TB capacity would only make sense for content creators that record long sessions with their iPhones and people who obsessively want to have every app, song, photo, and TV shows offline.
Besides that, I believe the new entry 256GB of storage model – or the 512GB option – will be more than enough for most users.
In around three weeks, we’ll discover what Apple has to announce about the iPhone 15 series and its high-end iPhone 15 Pro Max model.