Apple could make a high-end iPhone Ultra in 2024

Apple's CEO, Tim cook answered questions from investors during an earnings call. He shed some important information regarding future phone models, including an iPhone Ultra.

Are iPhone prices going to rise again?

You may be aware that the top-end model of the iPhone 14 Pro Max (pictured above) with 1 Terabyte of storage costs a whopping $1,600. The question on many people's minds is, will this price creep stop, or continue to grow?

When questioned about the sustainability of the iPhone's rising average sales prices, Cook said that the price of the mobiles was not a problem. He noted that the iPhone is now a part of their daily life for many people, they rely on it for everything including payments, monitoring their health and managing their home appliances.

Cook didn't say directly whether iPhone price increases are expected this year, but he told that people could be persuaded to spend more, to get the best out of the devices that they can afford. In other words, a pricier iPhone is possible.

iPhone Ultra could be a higher-end phone than Pro variants

It is no secret that Apple has been interested in creating a higher-end iPhone than its current offerings, which are the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models, which I mentioned above. But, Apple needs something more to set a higher-end version apart from the Pro and Pro Max.

The Cupertino company plans to deal with this by introducing a new tier, the iPhone Ultra. This isn't a new strategy per se, it worked out for Samsung, the most recent device from the South Korean Electronics giant, is the Galaxy S23 Ultra. As a matter of fact, it was so successful that Samsung had to ditch the Galaxy Note series.

The iPhone 15 which will be launched later this year is expected to be made with higher grade materials, better processors, and cameras. A top-end model, such as the iPhone Ultra, will surely have more expensive parts, and this in turn would mean that iPhone prices will increase. That being said, Apple is reportedly targeting to launch the iPhone Ultra next year, in 2024. So, we may have some respite at least until then. Hopefully, Apple will continue to offer its iPhone 15 line-up at prices similar to the current-gen, the iPhone 14 series.

That's not all, Mark Gurman from Bloomberg says that if Apple were to make a foldable iPhone, the prices would be hiked even higher. It could cost potentially upwards of $2,000, just like the Galaxy Z Fold4 from Samsung. But, if rumors are to be believed, Apple isn't ready for foldable phones yet. The company is said to be focusing on larger foldable devices, the size of a laptop, could it be a foldable iPad? What this means is that the iPhone Ultra won't be a foldable phone.

Apple's annual shareholder meeting will be held on March 10th, the company likes to keep a tight lid on developments, so we may not more information about upcoming devices from the event, but you never know. You can find the full report by Mark Gurman on Bloomberg (paywalled article).

Apple has other things to worry about too, like complying with laws that made the USB Type-C port mandatory on all phones, laptops, in the E.U, allowing third-party app stores on iOS and iPadOS.

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