Will the iPhone 13 cost more or less than its predecessors? We should know for sure next week.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
This story is part of Apple Event, our full coverage of the latest news from Apple.
Apple’s new iPhone, likely to be called the iPhone 13, is expected to debut on Sept. 14 at the tech giant’s next 2021 event, but how much will it cost? For instance, the iPhone 12 lineup consisted four models, each in different storage tiers at a range of prices. While we expect a similar iPhone 13 lineup will come in a variety of prices as well, a prospective shopper could find all of those too high and choose to instead turn toward previous iPhones like the aforementioned iPhone 12 or the iPhone 11, or wait for the rumored iPhone SE 3.
Right now the most expensive iPhone, the iPhone 12 Pro Max with 512GB of storage, comes in at $1,399 in the US, £1,399 in the UK and AU$2,369 in Australia. And a new rumor suggests that the iPhone 13 line might get an even larger 1TB storage option, which if true would make it the new most high-end and probably most expensive iPhone model.
Read more: How to watch Apple’s Sept. 14 event live and everything we expect
Meanwhile, rumors about the iPhone 14 are already starting up, with reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting that the iPhone 14 Pro Max (or whatever the largest model in Apple’s 2022 lineup is called) will have a $900 price tag, “the lowest price ever for a large (6.7-inch) iPhone.”
In addition to this price-themed roundup, we’ve also gathered the rumors about the iPhone 13’s camera specs, design and colors and the phone’s rumored features. And don’t miss our iPhone 13 wish list. We also have a few thoughts on whether to buy an iPhone 12 now or wait.
Read more: iPhone 13 vs. iPhone 12: All the rumored upgrades
iPhone 13 price updates
The iPhone 13 may be pricier than the iPhone 12. According to an August report from DigiTimes, the tech giant is considering increasing the costs for the iPhone 13 to compensate for the escalating price of chip production from its supplier, TSMC. Apple’s supplier is looking to increase the cost by as much as 20% for “advanced and mature process technologies” by January 2022, the report says. It’s unclear, based on the report, how much iPhone prices could increase.
Since the iPhone isn’t expected to be a major technical upgrade from the iPhone 12, which was the first to include 5G support, analysts previously predicted that the new iPhone will cost about the same as the iPhone 12, the base version of which starts at $799 (£799, AU$1,349). Since the iPhone 12 led to the largest revenue and profit quarter in Apple’s history, the company may want to follow a similar pricing structure.
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What to expect at Apple’s September event
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Here’s the iPhone 12’s US pricing, for reference:
iPhone 12 US pricing
| iPhone 12 model | 64GB | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 12 Mini (carrier model) | $699 | $749 | $849 | N/A |
| iPhone 12 Mini (SIM-free from Apple) | $729 | $779 | $879 | N/A |
| iPhone 12 (carrier model) | $799 | $849 | $949 | N/A |
| iPhone 12 (SIM-free from Apple) | $829 | $879 | $979 | N/A |
| iPhone 12 Pro | N/A | $999 | $1,099 | $1,299 |
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | N/A | $1,099 | $1,199 | $1,399 |
It’s also possible that Apple may lower the price of the iPhone 13, as phone-makers did for other models like Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE and Google’s Pixel 5 in 2020. The Samsung Galaxy S21, released in January, also boasted a lower price tag, starting at $200 less than its predecessor.
For more, check out our review of the iPhone 12 and the best ways to sell or trade in your old iPhone.
