Consumer Electronics

The $1,600 iPhone

iPhone
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Sometimes forgotten in the debate about the fate of the iPhone is that its most expensive models cost $1,600, which is about the price of a good personal computer. (Customers are abandoning these 25 brands.)
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Most people do not know about expensive iPhones. They get theirs as part of a bundle with a two-year subscription to AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile. Under these circumstances, the iPhone may only cost $40 a month, barely noticeable. The carrier has paid big money for the iPhone and passed the cost to the consumer in installments.

The most expensive iPhone is the Pro Max 14. It has a 6.7-inch display and 1TB of storage. It is hard to imagine why anyone would need that much. Many PCs have less storage than that. Presumably, Apple sells only a few of these.


The iPhone Pro Max 1TB is a flagship. It is like the $150,000 Cadillac or $25,000 Rolex. No one buys them, but some people aspire to. Instead, they buy an iPhone that costs $500 or take a 24-month plan with a carrier and feel they are paying nothing.

The iPhone 15 will debut in less than two months. It undoubtedly will have a Pro Max version. No one will buy one, but Apple will have them handy, just in case.

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