iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders open to unexpectedly soft demand amid $100 price hikes

Apple ↗ 1.75% opened pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on Saturday, September 12, but the new flagship phones carry a $100 price increase across the board — a hike the company attributes to an industry-wide memory chip shortage fueled by surging demand from AI data centers. Early indications suggest pre-order demand may be softer than in prior years, with AppleInsider reporting that the devices did not sell out immediately, as has been typical of past launches.appleinsider

Higher Prices Across the Lineup

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the Pro Max at $1,299, each $100 more than last year's iPhone 17 Pro models. The increases steepen at higher storage tiers: a 1TB iPhone 18 Pro now costs $1,799, up $300 from the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro, and a new 2TB option runs $2,399. Apple also raised the price of the year-old iPhone 17 from $799 to $899 on the same day it announced the new phones, a move Cult of Mac tied directly to rising memory component costs.mashable+2

CNET editor-in-chief David Katzmaier told WCPO that the chip squeeze is real. "Pricing for electronics is a lot more expensive because of the AI data centers that are using all the memory and other chips out there," he said. Reports earlier this summer from supply-chain analyst Tim Culpan noted that DRAM shortages were holding up iPhone 18 Pro assembly, with processor wafers sitting on shelves awaiting memory modules.wcpo+1

A New Chip, but Muted Excitement

Powering the new phones is the A20 Pro, Apple's first smartphone chip built on a 2-nanometer process. It features dual Neural Engines with 32 cores total and performance CPU cores clocked up to 4.9 GHz. Despite the technical leap, the price increases appear to be dampening enthusiasm. AppleInsider noted that pre-orders got off to a "surprisingly slow start," a departure from the near-instant sellouts that typically accompany new iPhone launches. Analysts have pointed to the higher pricing, potentially better-than-expected supply, and consumer interest in the separately announced $1,999 iPhone Duo foldable as possible explanations.macrumors+2

Wait-and-See Strategy

For consumers balking at the new prices, experts suggest patience. Katzmaier said discounts on the Pro models are likely as the holiday season approaches, particularly through carrier promotions. The first iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max deliveries are scheduled for Friday, September 18, with availability in more than 65 countries.apple+2