Robert Triggs/Android Authority
TL; DR
- Apple is reportedly in talks to launch an “Ultra” branded iPhone.
- The device could join the iPhone range launched in 2024.
- It could sit atop the Pro and Pro Max models as the most premium iPhone ever.
Apple is internally discussing adding a high-end smartphone to the iPhone lineup, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This device would sit on top of the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models and could launch with ‘Ultra’ branding, the same as Samsung’s high-end Galaxy S series flagships.
During Apple’s recent earnings call, CEO Tim Cook remarked that rising iPhone prices weren’t a problem. He said customers could probably be persuaded to spend even more, hinting that the company might be looking at a more expensive iPhone than the premium iPhone 14 Pro Max which fetches $1,600 for the 1TB version.
“I think people are ready to really stretch to get the best they can afford in this category,” Cook said on the call last week.
Although Cook hasn’t explicitly said the company is raising iPhone prices yet, Apple has consistently upgraded the Pro and Pro Max lines to set them apart from the standard iPhone line. Gurman reports that the iPhone 15 models arriving later this year will also experience this tier differentiation with various materials, processors, and cameras. For example, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is expected to receive a periscope lens for improved optical zoom.
With the Pro lines becoming increasingly distinct, industry watchers believe Apple may launch an even more premium iPhone in the future. He already has an Apple Watch and a processor with the Ultra moniker. Maybe the iPhone would be next to get it.
Last year, a leaker predicted that Apple might replace the Pro Max branding with the Ultra branding for the high-end iPhone 15. However, Gurman doesn’t see that happening and reports that Apple may launch the Ultra iPhone in 2024 in addition to the Pro and Pro Max models.
