With September on the horizon, Apple is gearing up for the launch of the iPhone 18 lineup, and a new report from Counterpoint Research suggests the company’s most expensive iPhone yet could also be its most expensive to manufacture.
The research firm has published an estimate of the bill of materials (BoM) for the upcoming 1TB iPhone 18 Pro Max, comparing its expected component costs with those of the current 1TB iPhone 17 Pro Max. According to the report, Apple’s next flagship will cost significantly more to build, driven by more expensive components and rising manufacturing costs.
As reported by 9to5Mac, Counterpoint Research believes Apple will offset some of those higher production costs through retail price increases. The firm claims that “Apple is expected to apply different retail price increases across different storage variants, to avoid the loss of gross profit on large-capacity models,” although it says the company is still expected to see slimmer profit margins across the iPhone 18 lineup despite an average retail price increase of around $200.
The iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to introduce a number of notable hardware changes. Rumours so far suggest Apple will continue using an aluminium frame rather than returning to titanium, while the devices could feature a noticeably thicker design to accommodate a larger battery. Previous reports have also claimed the Pro models could arrive in new finishes, including Light Blue and Dark Cherry, alongside upgrades to the camera system, next-generation A20 Pro chip, and improved Apple Intelligence capabilities.
Apple is also widely expected to change the way it launches new iPhones. Instead of announcing the entire lineup at once, reports suggest the company could unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max this September, with the standard iPhone 18 and the rumoured iPhone 18 Air expected to follow several months later in spring 2027.