iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Price Leak Reveals Expected Costs and Storage Tiers

Apple's September event is getting closer, and the first iPhone 18 Pro pricing leaks are starting to look more consistent. Unfortunately, they don't bring great news for anyone hoping for lower prices.

The general idea is simple: Apple's next Pro models could cost more across the board.

The iPhone 17 Pro starts at 8,999 yuan in China. For the 18 Pro, Apple could reportedly raise that to 9,999 yuan.

That's a 1,000 yuan increase right from the start. It would also push some higher-end versions of the new lineup well above the 10,000 yuan mark.

The Pro Max could see an even bigger increase.

Weibo tipster Smart Pikachu claims the iPhone 18 Pro Max could start at around 11,000 yuan for the 256GB model.

If that turns out to be true, it would make the 18 Pro Max the most expensive regular iPhone Apple has ever sold. In US terms, that's roughly $400 more than the current 17 Pro Max.

I'd still take this number with some caution. It's a very large increase, and the final price could end up being lower.

Then there's Apple's rumored first foldable iPhone.

According to tipster Instant Digital, the phone could come in three storage versions. The 256GB model may cost 15,999 yuan, while the 512GB and 1TB versions could cost 17,999 and 19,999 yuan.

Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be a 2TB model.

A rough conversion puts the foldable between $1,999 and $2,399. Apple's actual US pricing will likely be different, though.

There are a few possible reasons.

The A20 Pro chip is expected to use a more expensive 2nm manufacturing process. At the same time, the ongoing memory shortage is pushing component costs higher across the smartphone industry.

So Apple has some real reasons to increase prices. Still, none of these figures are official yet.

We'll have to wait for the September event to see how expensive the iPhone 18 lineup really gets.