Apple introduced a starting price of $999 when it launched the iPhone X, ushering in a new ultra-premium category of flagships. It then released an even larger version that charged a premium. The company hasn’t held back on this approach, but despite launching multiple generations of iPhones, the smaller “Pro” version never made it past the $999 threshold, despite countless rumors claiming otherwise. According to the latest rumor, the price of the base iPhone 16 Pro model will remain unchanged, which is an excellent strategy and gives consumers more features without spending a penny extra.

Customers now have to pay less to use the tetraprism periscope zoom lens on the iPhone 16 Pro

An update from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on X covers iPhone 16 Pro pricing and estimates that Apple will stick to its usual approach of launching two premium models. However, this year there will be a number of differences, starting with the inclusion of a tetraprism periscope zoom lens on the iPhone 16 Pro. In fact, we previously reported that the same telephoto lens hardware that was present on the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year will make its way into the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max this year.

While this means that both high-end models will feature a tetraprism zoom lens, the specifications remain essentially unchanged. Apart from that, while the iPhone 16 Pro is said to get a larger display, the bezels could be significantly thinner as Apple is rumored to have introduced a “border reduction structure” technology to make this possible. The touch-sensitive camera button is said to be present on all iPhone 16 models, and thanks to the iPhone 16 Pro’s 10 percent increase in battery capacity, the latter is expected to last longer.

I expect the touch-sensitive camera button to be on all iPhone 16 models tomorrow. The narrower bezels on the Pro line are noticeable, as are the improvements in battery life. I don’t expect the Pro’s starting price of $999 to be raised. The focus will be on AI and the A18 chip across the board.

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) 9 September 2024

The announcement will be a lot to talk about, but according to the latest rumors, Apple’s main focus will be AI and the A18 Pro chip. While the tech giant faces a lot of criticism for charging insanely high prices for its products, there’s no arguing with its pricing consistency, and it’s an indication of a robust supply chain. In any case, the It’s Glowtime event kicks off in a few hours, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest updates, so stay tuned.

News source: Mark Gurman