iPhone 17 Pro Max Evaluating Upgrade Timing: iPhone 15 Pro Max → iPhone 18 Pro Max

[conmee]

I really liked the 15 Pro Max. It looks more elegant as far as I'm concerned and the use of titanium makes it surprisingly light for a large phone. I prefer it to the 17 Pro I now have in terms of feel and look. The 18 Pro Max is going to get more expensive and the camera plateau is going to get even larger/taller to accommodate the variable aperture. It's still going to look more utilitarian on the back with the huge camera plateau and the glass plate than the 15 Pro Max, it's just that the glass plate will try to color-match the anodization of the aluminum (per Dark Web Tata leaks). So it may look marginally better to some, but it will still have a noticeable glass "plate" on the back and it won't be a sleek uniform back like the 15 Pro/Max.

I moved the family over to 17 Pros/Maxes mainly for the cameras and battery life. I rarely take selfies, but the selfie camera with wide angle is convenient. The 4X/8X zoom and wide angle are better than the 15 Pro/Max cameras in terms of pixels and at least for me in terms of clarity, especially the wide angle. Granted that is the least used of the cameras for me, but I can see a noticeable improvement on wide angle shots. And the battery has been fantastic. Lastly, not everyone has heating issues with their 15 Pro/Max, but I regularly noticed my 15 Pro would get hot randomly, and even during doom scrolling/YouTube video watching. It wouldn't get uncomfortably hot, but it was noticeable even through a case. 17 Pro has been cool as can be.

Lastly, @maverick786us I think some folks like us on this board underestimate what people will do/sacrifice for Apple gear. Whether it's overpriced memory/storage, iPhone socks, $29 polishing cloths, $900 wheels, $1,000 monitor stand, heck even $3,499 Vision Pro... there are enough people out there with money to keep earnings high for Apple even with this price increase. Every launch sees a new record earnings report for how long now? Years. Not to mention, I'm sure the big carriers will find a way to roll the price increase into longer contracts or more expensive contracts with fewer perks, etc. I will not be surprised if John Ternus in January is simply amazed on an earnings conference call that despite across the board price increases, that Apple has another revenue and earnings record quarter. Year-over-year growth won't be as large, but it will still be an increase. There are people on this site already talking about how they'll drop close to $3,000 for a maxed out foldable iPhone. Carrier specials, home equity loans, payday loans, savings, I think a lot of people will end up buying a new iPhone this Fall. But I would love to see sales tank and the consumer reassert some pricing power. I just don't see enough consumers abstaining from purchases to make a difference. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[maverick786us]

I really liked the 15 Pro Max. It looks more elegant as far as I'm concerned and the use of titanium makes it surprisingly light for a large phone. I prefer it to the 17 Pro I now have in terms of feel and look. The 18 Pro Max is going to get more expensive and the camera plateau is going to get even larger/taller to accommodate the variable aperture. It's still going to look more utilitarian on the back with the huge camera plateau and the glass plate than the 15 Pro Max, it's just that the glass plate will try to color-match the anodization of the aluminum (per Dark Web Tata leaks). So it may look marginally better to some, but it will still have a noticeable glass "plate" on the back and it won't be a sleek uniform back like the 15 Pro/Max.

I moved the family over to 17 Pros/Maxes mainly for the cameras and battery life. I rarely take selfies, but the selfie camera with wide angle is convenient. The 4X/8X zoom and wide angle are better than the 15 Pro/Max cameras in terms of pixels and at least for me in terms of clarity, especially the wide angle. Granted that is the least used of the cameras for me, but I can see a noticeable improvement on wide angle shots. And the battery has been fantastic. Lastly, not everyone has heating issues with their 15 Pro/Max, but I regularly noticed my 15 Pro would get hot randomly, and even during doom scrolling/YouTube video watching. It wouldn't get uncomfortably hot, but it was noticeable even through a case. 17 Pro has been cool as can be.

Lastly, @maverick786us I think some folks like us on this board underestimate what people will do/sacrifice for Apple gear. Whether it's overpriced memory/storage, iPhone socks, $29 polishing cloths, $900 wheels, $1,000 monitor stand, heck even $3,499 Vision Pro... there are enough people out there with money to keep earnings high for Apple even with this price increase. Every launch sees a new record earnings report for how long now? Years. Not to mention, I'm sure the big carriers will find a way to roll the price increase into longer contracts or more expensive contracts with fewer perks, etc. I will not be surprised if John Ternus in January is simply amazed on an earnings conference call that despite across the board price increases, that Apple has another revenue and earnings record quarter. Year-over-year growth won't be as large, but it will still be an increase. There are people on this site already talking about how they'll drop close to $3,000 for a maxed out foldable iPhone. Carrier specials, home equity loans, payday loans, savings, I think a lot of people will end up buying a new iPhone this Fall. But I would love to see sales tank and the consumer reassert some pricing power. I just don't see enough consumers abstaining from purchases to make a difference. Hope I'm wrong.

You make a fair point. Apple customers have historically shown a much higher tolerance for premium pricing than most consumers, and the company's earnings reports certainly support that argument.

That said, I don't think the conclusion should automatically be that Apple has unlimited pricing power. Every successful premium brand eventually finds its ceiling. The fact that consumers were willing to pay $999, then $1,199, doesn't necessarily mean they'll be equally comfortable with $1,499 or beyond.

My concern isn't whether Apple can get away with one price increase. It's whether repeated large increases eventually start extending upgrade cycles, pushing more people toward older models, or encouraging customers to keep their devices for an extra year or two. Those effects can take time to show up.

I also think there's a difference between people being able to finance a purchase and people genuinely perceiving good value in it. Carrier deals, installment plans, and trade-ins can soften the sticker shock, but they don't change the underlying question of whether the product offers enough additional value to justify the higher price.

Apple has earned its premium positioning, but even the strongest brands aren't immune to the laws of diminishing returns. At some point, increasing volume and maintaining customer goodwill may become more important than squeezing out a few extra percentage points of margin.

 

[conmee]

You make a fair point. Apple customers have historically shown a much higher tolerance for premium pricing than most consumers, and the company's earnings reports certainly support that argument.

That said, I don't think the conclusion should automatically be that Apple has unlimited pricing power. Every successful premium brand eventually finds its ceiling. The fact that consumers were willing to pay $999, then $1,199, doesn't necessarily mean they'll be equally comfortable with $1,499 or beyond.

My concern isn't whether Apple can get away with one price increase. It's whether repeated large increases eventually start extending upgrade cycles, pushing more people toward older models, or encouraging customers to keep their devices for an extra year or two. Those effects can take time to show up.

I also think there's a difference between people being able to finance a purchase and people genuinely perceiving good value in it. Carrier deals, installment plans, and trade-ins can soften the sticker shock, but they don't change the underlying question of whether the product offers enough additional value to justify the higher price.

Apple has earned its premium positioning, but even the strongest brands aren't immune to the laws of diminishing returns. At some point, increasing volume and maintaining customer goodwill may become more important than squeezing out a few extra percentage points of margin.

Agreed on all points, and that Apple doesn't have unlimited pricing power. But I think this round of pricing increases will test their power and the resolve/budgets of consumers. We'll see if the current increases cross the line or if Apple consumers will absorb more financial pain to stay on the latest and greatest. To be honest, I've been surprised that Apple has managed to command the prices it does for so long.

Everything you've written is well-reasoned. But this is a crazy timeline we're in at the moment. I don't think a majority of Apple consumers make any kind of value calculation in their purchasing decisions other than "Apple logo good." Apple isn't immune to the laws of diminishing returns completely agree. The problem is that since the introduction of the iMac (or at least the iPhone), nothing they've done has diminished their returns. It will be very interesting to see how Q4 goes. We'll have to revisit this thread and either be in awe of Apple's pricing power (and consumers' disregard of rational purchasing decisions) or we'll see Apple has finally crossed the line and enough consumers wake up and say "Enough already!" My family has 17 Pros, M5 MBPs and MBAs, a couple new iPads and Watches. So we're all set with Apple gear and hopefully can ride out the AI craziness and see some rational pricing in a few years when it's time to upgrade things.

 

[maverick786us]

Agreed on all points, and that Apple doesn't have unlimited pricing power. But I think this round of pricing increases will test their power and the resolve/budgets of consumers. We'll see if the current increases cross the line or if Apple consumers will absorb more financial pain to stay on the latest and greatest. To be honest, I've been surprised that Apple has managed to command the prices it does for so long.

Everything you've written is well-reasoned. But this is a crazy timeline we're in at the moment. I don't think a majority of Apple consumers make any kind of value calculation in their purchasing decisions other than "Apple logo good." Apple isn't immune to the laws of diminishing returns completely agree. The problem is that since the introduction of the iMac (or at least the iPhone), nothing they've done has diminished their returns. It will be very interesting to see how Q4 goes. We'll have to revisit this thread and either be in awe of Apple's pricing power (and consumers' disregard of rational purchasing decisions) or we'll see Apple has finally crossed the line and enough consumers wake up and say "Enough already!" My family has 17 Pros, M5 MBPs and MBAs, a couple new iPads and Watches. So we're all set with Apple gear and hopefully can ride out the AI craziness and see some rational pricing in a few years when it's time to upgrade things.

Fair enough, and I think we're largely on the same page at this point.

What's interesting is that neither of us is really arguing whether Apple can raise prices. The question is whether there eventually comes a point where consumers start changing their behavior. Apple may still sell millions of iPhones at higher prices, but longer upgrade cycles, increased purchases of older models, and more people holding onto their devices for an extra year or two could all be signs that the ceiling is being approached.

I also agree that this AI cycle makes things particularly difficult to judge. Between memory costs, AI investment, tariffs, financing offers, and Apple's ecosystem strength, it's hard to separate genuine demand from demand being supported by favorable market conditions.

If Q4 comes in with yet another record despite a substantial increase, I'll happily admit Apple's pricing power is even stronger than I thought. But if we start seeing consumers gravitate toward older Pro models, keeping phones longer, or becoming more selective about upgrades, then maybe we'll finally be seeing the first signs of that ceiling.

Either way, it should make for a fascinating few years to watch.

 

[conmee]

If things continue as they are with AI etc, I will definitely keep devices longer AND consider refurbished in the future.

 

[maverick786us]

If things continue as they are with AI etc, I will definitely keep devices longer AND consider refurbished in the future.

That's pretty much where I am as well.

I've been upgrading iPhones every 2–3 years for nearly a decade now. My upgrade path was:

• iPhone 6s Plus (2016)
• iPhone XS Max (2019)
• iPhone 12 Pro Max (2021)
• iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023)

I was fully prepared to continue that pattern and upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. If the price increase ends up being around $100, I'd probably still consider it. But if the rumored increase is closer to $300, that's where my decision starts to change.

At that point, I wouldn't rush out and buy it at launch. I'd either hold onto my 15 Pro Max for another generation or wait a few months for carrier promotions, trade-in deals, discounts, or refurbished options to bring the effective cost down.

And I suspect there are quite a few customers like me. Not customers who suddenly abandon Apple, but customers who become more selective about when and how they upgrade. That's why I think the real impact of a large price increase may not be fewer iPhone users, but longer upgrade cycles.

In other words, Apple may still sell the phone, but it may take more incentives and more time to get people like me to open our wallets. To me, that's where the first signs of a pricing ceiling would begin to appear.