IPhone 15 production cost exposure: Standard version up 16%, ProMax up 12%

On October 17th, according to an Apple phone report disassembled by Fomalhaut TechnoSolutions in Japan, the material cost of the iPhone 15 ProMax is $558 (currently approximately 4079 RMB), with component costs accounting for 47%, 12% higher than the iPhone 14 ProMax. The other models are: the production cost of the iPhone 15 Pro is $523, which is about 8% higher than the iPhone 14 Pro; The production cost of the iPhone 15Plus is $442, which is about 10% higher than the iPhone 14Plus; IPhone 15 is considered to have the greatest cost change, with a bill of materials of $423, which is approximately 16% higher than iPhone 14. If so, why is the starting price of the iPhone 15 series still unchanged this year? The news has sparked heated discussion online.

Although the cost of the iPhone 15 series has increased, the starting price remains unchanged, which may seem contradictory but actually meets the objective market expectations. Before the release of the iPhone 15 series, there were frequent revelations about "price increases", mainly due to the significant increase in the cost of components such as chips, body, cameras, and screens. Many revelations mentioned that the Pro model is expected to increase by around 1000 yuan in price.

Many people originally thought that the price increase of Pro models was already a certainty, but as the release time of the iPhone 15 series approached, the market experienced two new changes. Firstly, Huawei's Mate60 series suddenly became popular without warning, and secondly, online public opinion was generally not optimistic about the price increase of the iPhone 15 series.

Faced with the strong innovative performance of Huawei's Mate60 series, the so-called upgrade moments of the iPhone 15 series appear pale and powerless. Moreover, from the lineup of new iPhone 15 series models, Apple still wields the "Green Dragon Moon Blade" towards its standard version in order to create more sales opportunities for Pro models:

• IPhone 15 Standard Edition: Old chip+60Hz screen+20W charging+USB2+5x zoom.

• IPhone 15Pro version: New chip+120Hz screen+27W charging+USB3+15/25x zoom.

Nowadays, the 1000 yuan device has almost popularized a 120Hz refresh rate. It is hard to imagine that the iPhone 15 still provides a 60Hz refresh rate and is still equipped with old chips. The absolute product strength is even inferior to the previous generation Pro model, and the standard version also appears unattractive. It broke down as soon as it was sold, and the price is simply unsustainable.

Although iPhone15Pro and iPhone15ProMax have brought some new changes, most of them are leftover designs from Android, such as a 25x zoom lens, ultra narrow bezel, USB3 interface, and the appearance is a 4-year old design. Although the cost has increased, there is no reason to support the price increase in the face of strong innovation from competitors.

From the pre-sale performance of the four new models of the iPhone 15 series, the popularity of the iPhone 15 ProMax single model is the most popular. About an hour after Apple officially opened the pre-sale, the shipping cycle of this phone has exceeded 50 days, far exceeding the other three models. This means that a considerable number of users have chosen this top of the line model.

The core of iPhone 15 ProMax is equipped with an A17Pro biomimetic chip, featuring a 6.7-inch XDR Smart Island direct facing screen with a resolution of 2796x1290, supporting 460PPI+2000nit outdoor peak brightness, and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate; Front 1200W lens+3D depth lens, rear 4800W main camera+1200W ultra wide angle lens+1200W quadruple prism telephoto lens, equipped with USB-C interface, supporting USB3 transmission, IP68 support, new operation buttons, body thickness of 8.25mm, weight of approximately 221g, starting at 8GB+256GB, starting at 9999 yuan.

From the perspective of appearance, configuration parameters, and actual hands-on experience, the iPhone 15 ProMax has some highlights but not many compared to the previous generation, and does not have much advantage in the face of competition. If we continue to increase prices, it is likely that all four models will break down as soon as they start selling, and the first sales situation may be more awkward. Therefore, not increasing prices may be the best decision at that time.

Overall, the latest disclosure points out that the production cost of the iPhone 15 series has significantly increased year-on-year, and even the cost of the standard version has increased by as much as 16%. However, Apple has not raised the starting price of the iPhone 15 series, which has sparked heated discussions among netizens. From the analysis, it can be seen that the iPhone 15 series is still being questioned by the consumer market for "lack of upgrade sincerity", and there is also a strong surprise attack from its competitor Huawei Mate60 series. The first sales situation of the iPhone 15 series this time is not optimistic. Therefore, although the cost of some parts of the iPhone 15 series has increased, the starting price remains unchanged, which is in line with objective market expectations.