iPhone Ultra Price Leak Makes the iPhone 18 Pro Look Almost Cheap

Apple is only days away from its next big iPhone event, and we may now have an idea of what the new phones will cost. A leaked price list claims the iPhone 18 Pro will cost EGP 98,000, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max could reach EGP 105,000. But those numbers look almost reasonable next to Apple's first foldable.

The rumored iPhone Ultra is listed at EGP 155,750, which works out to more than $3,000 with a direct currency conversion.

Before you panic, there's more to the story.

The alleged prices come from a screenshot that was said to show a Vodafone Egypt listing. For comparison, the iPhone 17 Pro currently costs EGP 88,800 there, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is EGP 94,400.

If the new numbers are right, we're looking at an increase of around 10 percent for the iPhone 18 Pro and 11 percent for the Pro Max.

That doesn't mean Apple will raise US prices by the same amount. Local taxes, import costs and exchange rates can make iPhone prices very different from one country to another.

Still, a price increase wouldn't be a surprise. The new Pro models are expected to use Apple's 2nm A20 Pro chip, while higher memory and other new parts could also make them more expensive to build.

The foldable iPhone is where things get crazy. At EGP 155,750, the leaked price is around 65 percent higher than the current iPhone 17 Pro Max in the same market.

I don't expect that to translate directly into a $3,000 US price. Current reports point to something closer to $2,000-$2,500, which would put the iPhone Ultra in the same very expensive world as other premium foldables.

Even $2,000 is a lot of money for a phone, though.

Apple's first foldable is expected to open into a display of around 7.8 inches, with a smaller 5.5-inch screen on the outside. It could also use the new A20 chip and offer up to 2TB of storage.

This is clearly not going to be the iPhone for everyone. Apple seems to be treating the Ultra as a new premium product above the Pro Max, and the price will probably make that very clear.

Here's where we need to be careful. Vodafone Egypt has denied that it published these prices, and the original screenshot could not be checked while the alleged listing was still online.

So I wouldn't take EGP 98,000, EGP 105,000 or EGP 155,750 as confirmed prices.

What does seem likely is that Apple's new phones won't get cheaper. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max may see a smaller price increase, while the foldable iPhone Ultra is expected to sit well above them.

We'll know for sure very soon. Apple is holding its iPhone event on September 9, and if the iPhone Ultra really starts above $2,000, the Pro Max may suddenly look like the sensible choice.