The new iPhone 14 will come sometime this fall – Release date for iPhone 14 Speculation suggests that the phones will appear in September – which means you will have a selection of new Apple smartphones in just a few months.
But to make room for the four new models we expect Apple to release, some current iPhones are likely to disappear from Apple’s range. And that includes some of best iPhones you can buy right now.
Apple’s gamebook in recent years is to keep some older models at reduced prices as a way to appeal to customers who avoid paying the full cost of a brand new iPhone. This can be especially important this time because some new phones, in particular iPhone 14 Pro models, could see a price increase from their iPhone 13 counterparts.
If you are familiar with Apple, you know that the company will not reveal anything about its future product plans, until the moment when it is ready to announce new phones. The structure for this year’s iPhone 14 release has not changed, and rumors have been circulating about Apple’s planned iPhone range in addition to the iPhone 14 models. However, we expect an increase in rumors just before the launch of the iPhone 14.
In the meantime, we can review Apple’s recent history to make some guesses about which phones are likely to stay at reduced prices and which ones may be harder to find this fall. This is how we believe Apple’s future iPhone range will look when the iPhone 14 arrives.
Apple’s current iPhone range
Before we move on to Apple’s launch plans for the iPhone 14, let’s review what Apple’s current phone offerings look like. We limit this to the devices currently sold at Apple, along with their starting prices. Additional older iPhones may be available from select retailers and phone operators, but we’re only considering what Apple makes available for sale.
There are eight models in total, with only one – iPhone SE (2022) which has been released in the last calendar year.
iPhone 14: Which models will come in the autumn
Rumors have told us about the new models that Apple is working on as part of this year’s iPhone release. We expect four new phones – an iPhone 14, an iPhone 14 Pro, an iPhone 14 Pro Max and an iPhone 14 Max. The first three models will have the same screen sizes as their iPhone 13 equivalents, although the Pro versions could lose the iPhone’s famous cutouts for cutouts that hold the front camera and Face ID sensors.
The fourth phone, iPhone 14 Max, would be a new model for Apple. It is expected to include a 6.7-inch screen like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but its other features – the number of cameras, available storage, design and processor used – are rumored to reflect the standard iPhone 14. (We have a iPhone 14 vs. iPhone 14 Max comparison that looks at all the potential differences.) Note that a rumor claims that the phone will be called iPhone 14 Plus to avoid confusion with iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The inclusion of the iPhone 14 Max means the end of the line for the compact mini-iPhone, which has been part of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 series; both iPhone mini released by Apple are still for sale. Although Apple does not break down sales figures by model, it is reported that the mini is Apple’s least popular iPhone, which may explain why it does not stay for an iPhone 14 version. The reported lack of sales may also affect Apple’s decision on which models will remain part of the phone offering in a world after the iPhone 14.
Pricing rumors for the iPhone 14 are also important to keep in mind when trying to find out which current phones Apple can keep. While it is possible that Apple will try to keep the same prices as they were for the iPhone 13, new rumors suggest that only the standard iPhone 14 will keep the price of its iPhone 13 equivalent. The iPhone 14 Max, like a larger phone, can have a price tag of $ 899.
This could push up the price of the iPhone 14 Pro models, as Apple seems to be holding a gap between the pricing of its standard and Pro models. Currently, the general assumption is that the iPhone 14 Pro models will see their prices rise by $ 100 compared to the current models – $ 1,099 for the iPhone 14 Pro and $ 1,1199 for the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Which current iPhone models may disappear from Apple’s range?
If we assume rumors of four new iPhone 14 models, we can expect Apple to thin out the current iPhone series to make room for the latest phones. All phones that can cannibalize sales of new iPhone 14s would probably be the first to go.
This means that the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max will probably live on borrowed time. Since the iPhone started with the Pro and Pro Max models in the iPhone range in 2019, it has never kept any of the versions for more than a year. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max – predecessors to the Pro / Pro Max naming convention – also jumped out of the range when iPhone 11 was launched.
Apple also rarely keeps phones longer than three years after the launch date. The iPhone 11, which was presented in September 2019, is fast approaching its end-of-sale date, so it is a fairly certain card that it will be cycled out of the range this autumn.
What current iPhone models is Apple likely to keep?
Apple consistently maintains the standard iPhone it introduced the year before, giving $ 100 off the price. That’s what happened to the iPhone 11 when the iPhone 12 debuted, and the iPhone 12 suffered a similar fate last fall. That’s why we think the 6.1-inch iPhone 13 will almost certainly remain when the iPhone 14 debuts.
The typical $ 100 price reduction would be particularly relevant for the iPhone 13, as there is no iPhone 14 mini that can take up the $ 699 pricing. So it would make sense for the iPhone 13 to fill that space as the second best option for shoppers who simply cannot change the price of $ 799 that the iPhone 14 is likely to command.
If Apple thinks it can remove another year of sales from the iPhone 12, it can keep that phone as well. The iPhone 12 has already seen a drop from its debut price of $ 799 to $ 699. Should that phone stay put – and Apple’s past behavior suggests that it will – we would expect a new price of $ 599 for the iPhone 12 in the fall.
That leaves the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 mini – and some complicated questions about exactly what Apple does with these phones. If you believe in the notion that none of the models have sold particularly well, there is really no incentive for Apple to keep either, unless it’s to clean up any unsold inventory.
Again, removing both minis from the range would leave Apple with a big gap between the iPhone 12 at its likely price of $ 599 and the $ 429 iPhone SE, which is getting nowhere. If Apple is eager to offer a $ 499 phone, one of the remaining mini models could fill that space. The iPhone 12 mini seems to be the more natural development, as $ 499 is only a $ 100 reduction from the current price. But if the mini-sales are as lukewarm as we have heard, it would really cost that model to move if you dump $ 200 on the iPhone 13 mini.
The fate of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini is probably the biggest lingering question about which current iPhone models are likely to remain after the autumn. If we had to guess, we would say that the more recently released iPhone 13 mini seems to be the more obvious candidate to keep, but that would require a sharper price cut than normal to fit into Apple’s current price structure.
Outlook for this autumn’s iPhone range
It’s a fun guessing game trying to figure out Apple’s phone offering this fall, but there’s a practical reason to find out which phones will still be there when the iPhone 14 arrives. If you are currently considering buying an iPhone with one of the current models has caught your eye, waiting a few months may mean you could buy the same phone, but at a lower price, provided it is part of Apple’s longer. term schedules.
Conversely, if that phone is likely to fall out of the picture, this fall, it’s better for you to make your purchase now, even at the current price. (The best iPhone 13 deals can help you save money on your next phone purchase.)
There’s another benefit to waiting until the fall to buy an iPhone – you can also see if the rumored improvements of the iPhone 14 are really worth it for you. This way, you have an even wider range of iPhone choices, regardless of which phones make up Apple’s autumn range.
#iPhone #release #current #iPhones #discontinued