One and a half weeks left before the presentation of the iPhone 14 line.
Official: Apple presentation will be held on September 7
Many potential buyers thought: is it worth waiting for new items or buying one of the iPhones on sale right now? Or maybe wait for the price drop that can happen after the presentation?
This text indicates the official prices Apple sets in the United States – excluding state taxes and contracts with the operator.
I went for this because of the company’s stable assessment of its products and the currency understandable to everyone, intending to which local importers will offer devices. I do not indicate the price in rubles due to the lack of official deliveries, but in euros – due to the different costs of iPhones in other parts of the EU.
What iPhones can we expect?
Like a year earlier, four new iPhones are waiting for us. However, the differences are in what kind of models they will be. The Pro line will be presented in two usual sizes:
- iPhone 14 Pro will receive a 6.1-inch display;
- iPhone 14 Pro Max – 6.7-inch display.
The current Pro-line has similar dimensions to which the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max are presented.
But with the baseline, there is a snag. The fact is that two years later, it was decided to abandon the mini. And here we are waiting for the following smartphones:
- iPhone 14 – 6.1-inch display;
- iPhone 14 Max – 6.7-inch diagonal.
How will the new iPhones differ from the old ones?
The Pro-line will have quite a few differences:
- New system-on-a-chip Apple A16;
- Always-On Display function;
- the wide-angle camera will receive a new 48-megapixel sensor, which will allow you to shoot video in 8K resolution (but only on this camera);
- A new type of cutout in the form of a “pill” instead of a “monobrow,” where Face ID sensors will be placed. The front camera will be separated from this “pill”:
We also really hope that Apple will finally update the infamous front camera, which is laid on the shoulder blades of Android smartphones from the mainstream segment, but these are just Wishlist.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says that Apple may implement satellite communications support this year to allow users to send SMS messages from hard-to-reach places, which is also inaccurate.
But the differences between the baseline from the iPhone 13 mini and the usual 13 will be … In the new version of Max. The smartphone will receive the same system-on-a-chip, and whether there will be any other differences in it is unknown.
Probably, the smartphone will receive a little more RAM than the iPhone 13. The Always-On function may be rolled out to the entire line of new iPhones. But outwardly, it will be almost identical to the thirteenth iPhone model.
Based on this, we can assume there will be no base iPhone 14. Apple will show the iPhone 13, Max, and the existing lineup. Well, he will add new colors, among which there will be purple. But my colleagues disagree with this theory of mine (let’s call it secondary), so the chances that Apple will make such a knight’s move are negligible.
See what colors Apple will release all four iPhone 14 models in
Which iPhones will be on sale after September 7th?
If Apple shows four new iPhones, then the line of officially sold smartphones will look like this:
- iPhone 12 mini,
- iPhone 12,
- iPhone 14,
- iPhone 14 Max,
- iPhone 14 Pro,
- iPhone 14 Pro Max,
- iPhone SE (2022).
The entire iPhone 13 line will have to be “killed” so that it does not compete with the new iPhones. The life cycle of the iPhone 11 will also come to an end, a year after the “kill” of the iPhone XR. The last year’s “minis” for fans of small cases will remain on sale.
If my version of the iPhone 13 Max is correct, then the line will look like this:
- iPhone 13 mini,
- iPhone 13,
- iPhone 13 Max,
- iPhone 14 Pro,
- iPhone 14 Pro Max,
- iPhone SE (2022).
However, here a drawback of my version appears – a gaping void in the starting prices for iPhones, which Apple is unlikely to do.
What will be the prices?
At the moment, regarding the prices of the new line, we know two factors:
- The starting price for the base iPhone 14 will be the same as the iPhone 13.
- The starting price for the iPhone 14 Pro is likely to be higher.
Based on this, we can assume how much the remaining iPhones will cost. For example, the price fork between the base iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will be precisely the same as between identical iPhones of different sizes, i.e., $100.
But the difference between the iPhone 14 Max and 14 Pro should not be less than two hundred dollars. Total prices will be as follows if Apple does not change the amount of memory in different versions:
| Model | US price |
| iPhone 14 (128, 256, 512 GB) | $799, $899, $1099 |
| iPhone 14 Max (128, 256, 512 GB) | $899, $999, $1199 |
| iPhone 14 Pro (128, 256, 512 GB; 1 TB) | $1099, $1199, $1399; $1599 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max (128, 256, 512 GB; 1 TB) | $1199, $1299, $1499; $1699 |
There is also a rumor that Apple will abandon the 128 GB Pro versions to justify the price increase. That is, the prices will be similar to what the company is now asking for the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, but without the launch version:
| Model | US price |
| iPhone 14 Pro (256 and 512 GB; 1 TB) | $1099 and $1299; $1499 |
| iPhone 14 Pro Max (256 and 512 GB; 1 TB) | $1199 and $1399; $1599 |
The pricing logic is quite simple: every 64 GB of internal memory has cost $50 for several years. The only exceptions are the 1TB version, where an extra 512GB comes at half the price.
With such a pricing policy, the company will not need to reduce the prices of existing iPhones. Therefore, their prices will be as follows:
| Model | US price |
| iPhone SE (64, 128, 256 GB) | $429, $479, $579 |
| iPhone 12 mini (64, 128, 256 GB) | $599, $649, $749 |
| iPhone 12 (64, 128, 256 GB) | $699, $749, $849 |
However, even here, there may be inconsistencies with the table. It may well be that Apple will make the iPhone 12 mini and 12 cheaper by $50 or even $100. It would be logical to do this since so many buyers are wondering which model to choose: 12 mini or 13 mini. Or maybe instead of 13 minis, take a medium-sized iPhone 12? The more buyers have such questions, the easier it is for them to make a choice, and the easier the purchase.
How accurate are these calculations?
Taking into account the fact that I do not work at Apple but do retrospective analytics. Theoretically, the company can alienate something like that, but whether Apple’s conservative managers will go for it is a question. Therefore, I believe the company will follow the main path and implement no secondary theories.
How to proceed?
In the US, prices will change only for new firmware. The price for the rest of the models will be identical to the one you can see on the Apple website right now. Therefore, if you want a new iPhone, but there is no goal to save money, then wait for new models – why not get more for the same money?
If you want to save money, you will unlikely to succeed this year. There will be no fall in prices for iPhones in 2022 due to a moderately thin line, from where the iPhone 11 and the entire iPhone 13 line will disappear.
At the same time, I do not exclude that the prices for the iPhone 12 mini and 12 may become lower. It would be suitable for buyers. But will Apple’s rather greedy management go for it? We will find out on September 7 when the new iPhones will be presented.