APPLE may be secretly working on its most expensive iPhone ever.
Industry insiders say the Californian tech giant is developing an extremely powerful “iPhone Ultra”.
AppleAn even more premium version of the iPhone could be on the way[/caption]
This mysterious device hasn’t been publicly confirmed, but may arrive as soon as 2024.
That’s according to Apple expert and journalist Mark Gurman who said there are signs it’s “coming” soon.
Gurman says that the new iPhone Ultra model could arrive in September next year alongside the iPhone 16 line-up.
Currently the high-end iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099 / £1,149 – although a top-spec version costs an extra 50% on top.
The so-called iPhone Ultra would come in above the Pro Max model, with a far higher price tag.
We spoke to industry expert Dan Ives, who revealed that the new device could start around $200 higher than the previous top-end model.
“We believe this would be a smart move for Apple and could cost in the $1,300 range depending on the specs,” said Ives, a managing director at Wedbush Securities.
“There is demand for this phone from Apple’s installed base.”
There are already some signs that Apple isn’t nervous about the high price of gadgets.
Earlier this year, Apple chief Tim Cook said iPhone fans will fork out the cash for a top product.
“I think people are willing to really stretch to get the best they can afford in that category,” Cook explained.
Apple has already used the Ultra branding on some of its products.
Last year Apple launched a high-end Apple Watch Ultra, which was significantly more expensive than other models.
And Apple also offers an M1 Ultra chipset inside some Mac products, which also marks the top end of performance.
Apple rival Samsung also offers ultra-premium smartphones that can cost several thousand dollars/pounds.
Samsung charges extra for these devices due to their folding mechanisms, which allow the handsets to have larger screens that can be tucked away.
Some suspect that Apple may be working on its own foldable smartphone to rival Samsung.
We’d also expect the new iPhone Ultra to feature upgraded processing performance.
A more impressive camera would likely be included, as well as potentially higher storage options.
But it’s impossible to say what the iPhone Ultra will look like until Apple makes an official announcement, which may never happen.