iPhone 15 Series Costs Apple More To Make Than Last Year's Models: Here's Why

BradleyMadly

Editor

posted on 1 year ago — updated on 1 second ago

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For the iPhone 15 series, the cost of the bill of materials (BOM) has increased for Apple for several reasons. Here's what you need to know.

Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro models were launched last month and offer a slew of upgrades over their predecessors—including the shift to titanium as the frame material and a new 3nm chipset. While there has been no price increase in the US, the smartphones have certainly jumped in price in India. Now, the iPhone 15 Pro starts at Rs 1,34,900, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,59,900. However, the cost of the bill of materials (BOM) has increased for Apple as well.

As reported by AppleInsider, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and Fomalhaut Techno Solutions, Japan, have suggested that the cost of making the iPhone 15 Pro Max for Apple has increased by 12% compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max, last year’s flagship phone. The overall cost stands at $558.

According to the report, the major contributors to this increased price are the titanium frame, the A17 Pro chipset, and the new display, all of which cost 43%, 27%, and 10% more, respectively. Furthermore, the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year features a new tetra-prism 5X telephoto lens, which is also 3.8% more expensive compared to last year’s 3X telephoto lens from the iPhone 14 Pro models.

Similarly, the smaller iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 Plus, and the iPhone 15 are also more expensive to make this year, with the former costing Apple $523 to produce.

So yes, the iPhone 15 series this year costs more for Apple to make compared to last year’s models. Despite this, Apple did not increase the price in the US. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at 256GB, and this has increased the entry price to $1199. Despite this, it isn’t a price jump, as the iPhone 14 Pro Max 256GB variant cost the same.

All these changes and the switch to USB-C have also contributed to increased demand in countries like India. We earlier originally reported that these iPhone 15 Pro models, especially the iPhone 15 Pro Max, were being sold for a black market premium, with retailers charging above and beyond the MRP, and this gives us an idea about the demand that Apple has been able to create this year.