Apple is reportedly contemplating a price hike for its upcoming iPhone models, slated for release this autumn, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
The report, quoting sources familiar with the matter, said that Apple is weighing a price increase for its next iPhones, due to design and feature upgrades rather than US tariffs on Chinese imports. Most of Apple's iPhone production remains rooted in China.
Rather than publicly associating any hike in iPhone prices with the geopolitical situation, Apple appears keen to underscore innovation as the key driver. The next-generation devices are expected to showcase design refinements, including an ultrathin model, the WSJ report added.
This pricing deliberation emerges in a politically sensitive environment. The Donald Trump administration had recently criticised Amazon after reports surfaced that the retail giant was considering revealing the cost of tariffs to consumers. In response, Amazon clarified that the proposal from its internal haul team was “never approved and is not going to happen.”
Apple, meanwhile, has been actively working to diversify its supply chain. CEO Tim Cook has sought to offset the tariff burden by shifting a portion of iPhone manufacturing to India. This move, aimed at reducing dependency on Chinese assembly lines, would also lower the duty costs for iPhones imported into the US.
Cook has stated that iPhones produced in India are expected to comprise a majority of US-bound shipments during the second quarter.
However, sources familiar with Apple's supply operations told The Wall Street Journal that the Pro and Pro Max models — Apple's highest-margin products — will continue to be made in China. India's facilities reportedly lack the capacity to handle production at the scale required for these premium models.
Separately, a Bloomberg report noted that US President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Apple CEO Tim Cook earlier on Monday, May 12, around the time reports emerged about the company potentially raising iPhone prices later this year.
As anticipation builds for Apple's fall event, the company's pricing strategy could reveal how it manages new features, production challenges and global trade tensions.
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