iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra Launch Timeline Tipped: Major Price Hike Expected

Apple hasn't announced anything yet, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has laid out what the iPhone 18 launch could look like, and there are a couple of details worth paying attention to beyond just the date.

The Launch Window

In his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's iPhone launch events typically fall on the first Tuesday or Wednesday after US Labor Day. This year, Labor Day is on September 7, which puts September 8 as the most likely date for the event. September 9 is also possible if Apple wants an extra travel day before the showcase. Apple launched the iPhone 17 series on September 9 last year, so both dates fit the established pattern.

The September lineup is expected to include the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple's first foldable iPhone, widely referred to as the iPhone Ultra. The base iPhone 18 is not part of this launch. Multiple reports, now corroborated by supply chain sources, point to the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e arriving in spring 2027, likely around March or April.

It would mark the first time Apple has split its flagship iPhone releases across two separate windows since establishing its annual fall launch cycle with the iPhone 4S in 2011.

The Price Hike

Alongside the launch timing, IDC has revised its price prediction for the iPhone 18 Pro lineup upward following Apple's recent Mac and iPad price increases. The firm now expects the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to cost up to $200 more than current models. That puts the iPhone 18 Pro somewhere between $1,249 and $1,299, roughly Rs 1.18 lakh to Rs 1.23 lakh, and the Pro Max between $1,349 and $1,399, or around Rs 1.28 lakh to Rs 1.32 lakh.

The iPhone Ultra is in a different bracket altogether. Component costs for a foldable are significantly higher, and the starting price is expected to be around $2,500, roughly Rs 2.36 lakh, going up to $3,000 or around Rs 2.83 lakh for higher storage variants.

Apple has already raised prices across Macs, MacBooks, iPads, Apple TV, and HomePod this year. iPhones are the one category left untouched so far, and that window appears to be closing.

None of this is official. Apple hasn't confirmed a launch date, pricing, or the existence of any iPhone 18 model yet.