Dismal iPhone 14 Plus sales could make Apple reduce iPhone 15 Plus price

Non-Pro iPhone 14 models, particularly the iPhone 14 Plus, haven't performed as well as Apple would have liked, allegedly forcing the company to divert production resources to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. The company is reportedly devising a game plan to ensure better iPhone 15 sales. Apple deviated from its usual strategy of equipping the entire iPhone lineup with its latest smartphone chip and also made the new front design and 48MP front camera exclusive to the pricier iPhone 14 Pro models. The end result was a lineup with two standard models - the 6.1 inch iPhone 14 and the 6.7 inches iPhone 14 Plus, which replaced the 5.4 inches iPhone 13 mini - that looked like they belonged to the iPhone 13 series, so it's no wonder that not many people wanted to buy them, especially at the same prices as last year. To improve matters next year, Apple is considering a couple of changes, per Naver leaker Yeux1122, who has a mixed track record (via MacRumors). Firstly, Apple is considering decreasing differentiation between the Pro and standard models. The report corroborates an earlier rumour that all models would have the Dynamic Island cutout. Whether the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will also have a higher refresh rate remains to be seen. Other than that, the standard models may also get the iPhone 14 Pro's 48MP main camera. ​ Secondly, Apple may also revise pricing. An earlier report had said that Apple could jack up the price of the highest-end model, which will allegedly be known as the iPhone 15 Ultra and not iPhone 15 Pro Max. Yeux1122 hints that Apple will adopt an aggressive pricing strategy for the iPhone 15 series. The company probably wants to widen the pricing gap between the Plus, which starts at $899, and the Pro, which starts at $999. Lastly, today's rumour also supports reports that Apple is aiming for greater distinction between the higher-end models and implies that suppliers have confirmed that the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Ultra will feature different materials and cameras. This aligns with reports that said the iPhone 15 Ultra would have a titanium chassis and a new periscope zoom camera. In other words, the differences in the same lineup as well as between the basic and pro models are elaborately recreated to the extent that the market can understand them." - Yeux1122 [Machine Translated] In short, Apple wants to have clearly differentiated models in the iPhone 15 lineup targeted at distinct consumer groups. Per earlier reports, the iPhone 15 may have rounded edges, though one rumour has disputed this, solid-state buttons, and a USB port, and the iPhone 15 Pro and Ultra could feature a new Sony sensor.