Will 2023 be the year that iPhones get more expensive in the US?

After years of rumors of an imminent price increase, a new report claims that Apple will finally do it to iPhone 15 Pro models in 2023.

According to Jeff Pu, an analyst at Hong Kong-based investment firm Haitong International Securities, Apple plans to raise the prices for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The reasoning relies on other rumors, including a titanium frame, solid-state buttons, and a new periscope camera.

Pu made his latest prediction in a recent research note seen by MacRumors, and it is the second rumor about a price increase for the iPhone 15 Pro models. Although Pu receives information from Apple's supply chain, he has had mixed results with previous rumors.

While a price increase is plausible given ongoing inflation rates, Apple hasn't changed starting prices for the iPhone Pro models in years. Since the iPhone X, the Pro — or Pro-adjacent, in the case of the iPhone X — models have started at $999. Pro Max versions have been $1,099 starting with the iPhone XS Max, at least in the US.

However, Apple has raised the prices of iPhones in other countries. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro costs 1,099 pounds in the UK, while the older iPhone 13 Pro model cost 949 pounds.

If the rumor of the iPhone 15 Pro Max regarding the higher 2TB of storage is true, then it's likely that Apple will raise the price for those models as it seeks to maintain profits.