At a time when everything around us is getting more expensive, especially smartphones and other electronics, Apple has decided to surprise everyone with the pricing for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The new flagships are still nearly six months away, but good news is already emerging. At the same time, the devices won’t be lacking in innovations, and iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will receive a pleasant design upgrade that will make them stand out from previous Apple devices.
iPhone 18 Pro will keep the same price
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max Pricing
According to a rumor published on the yeux1122 blog, Apple plans to maintain the starting price of its Pro models. Several analysts agree: Apple intends to keep the starting prices of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at the current generation level — $1,099 and $1,199 in the US.
For context: iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099 — that’s $100 more than last year’s iPhone 16 Pro. If Apple does indeed freeze the price tag, iPhone 18 Pro in Russia would cost approximately 119,000 ₽, and iPhone 18 Pro Max — approximately 129,000 ₽ through parallel import channels. The price in Russia is formed taking into account exchange rates, logistics costs, and exclusivity markup during the first weeks of sales — the base version price at major retailers could be approximately 165,000 rubles.
It’s important to understand: this is a rumor with a moderate degree of reliability. Apple hasn’t confirmed anything yet, and a lot can change before September.
What Colors Will iPhone 18 Pro Get
The main condition for the price freeze, according to the source, is limiting the color palette. Instead of the usual four to five colors, iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will offer only three options:
Due to the unchanged price, the color palette will be limited. Image: rbc.ru
- dark gray
- deep dark red
- silver white
Fewer colors mean simpler manufacturing and logistics. Each additional finish variant creates additional costs for assembly lines, storage, and distribution. In a situation where Apple is already risking its margins to maintain the price, reducing the palette is a logical way to optimize expenses.
For comparison: iPhone 17 Pro was also offered in three colors — so formally this isn’t even news. But if three colors previously seemed like a temporary solution, now it could become a lasting Apple trend.
Memory Prices: Why They’re Rising and How They Affect Smartphones
To understand why a price freeze is even a noteworthy event, you need to look at the market as a whole. In 2026, electronics manufacturers faced a serious shortage of RAM.
The reason is the rapid growth of AI infrastructure: data centers need enormous amounts of memory, and the largest manufacturers have redirected their factories toward more profitable server components instead of memory for smartphones and laptops.
According to IDC estimates, the average smartphone price will increase by 14% in 2026 to a record $523, and phones under $100 may disappear from the market entirely. Counterpoint analysts expect flagships to increase in price by $150–200 this year.
Against this backdrop, maintaining previous prices on iPhone 18 Pro looks like a deliberate strategy, not a given.
How Apple Plans to Maintain the iPhone 18 Pro Price
Apple purchases RAM (DRAM) in huge volumes at market prices — without discounts. The company deliberately buys up available supplies so that competitors find themselves in an even more difficult supply situation.
Apple is better protected from shortages because it operates in the premium segment with margins and better secures its DRAM supplies. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously recommended that Apple absorb the rising memory costs to take advantage of the market chaos.
The global memory chip shortage has become one of the main problems in the electronics market in 2026
An additional resource for this is Apple’s services business, which generates tens of billions of dollars and allows the company to offset losses from rising component costs in device manufacturing.
Is It Worth Waiting for iPhone 18 Pro
If the rumors are confirmed, this is good news for those who planned to upgrade this fall. Competitors are forced to raise prices or cut specifications — for example, Xiaomi factored in a 25% increase in memory costs per device in 2026. Lenovo, Dell, HP, Acer, and ASUS have already warned of PC price increases of 15–20% due to the memory shortage.
Against this backdrop, the unchanged iPhone 18 Pro price is a competitive advantage, even if an unusual one for Apple, which typically isn’t associated with affordability.
Three colors instead of five is a limitation, but hardly a critical one. The dark red color, if confirmed, would be the first truly vibrant shade in the Pro lineup in recent years.
Those with iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max can confidently upgrade this year
For those sitting on an iPhone 15 Pro or older and thinking about upgrading, this news sends one practical signal: you most likely won’t have to overpay. For those who are satisfied with their current iPhone 16 Pro or 17 Pro, there’s still no rush — a price freeze alone doesn’t make an upgrade mandatory.
