iPhone 16 is Coming Soon, But What Happens If Apple Continues to Sell the iPhone 15 Pro?

The iPhone 16 launch event is nearly upon us. The keynote date is probably only a few days away from being announced by Apple. Apple’s 2024 iPhone lineup is expected to be unveiled on September 10, according to rumors. If precise, the phones will be accessible for preorder on September 13th. Additionally, the iPhone 16 should be available for purchase on September 20.

At the point when the iPhone 16 becomes official, Apple will likewise change its iPhone lineup. It will discount some models while retiring others. That happens yearly, and some iPhone buyers will sit tight at those cost cuts instead of the new iPhones. However, this year is unlike any other in the history of Apple’s iPhone. What if Apple does things differently this year and keeps the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max available at a discounted price rather than canceling them?

Apple’s way

No other business has attempted to replicate Apple’s iPhone sales strategy. Apple continues to offer both the most recent and older iPhone models for sale. It should be working since Apple has been doing it for a really long time.

When the new iPhone arrives, the price of the non-Pro models from last year is reduced by $100. Along with the oldest iPhone in the lineup from the previous year, the old Pros are being discontinued. There is a $100 discount on all iPhones that are older than the model from last year.

In front of the iPhone 16 launch, the oldest iPhone you can buy right now is the 2021 iPhone 13. It begins at $599, yet you likely ought to stay away from it. This model will be discontinued next month, with a $599 iPhone 14 having its spot. Currently, the 2022 iPhone 14 is available for $699.

The iPhone 15, presently selling for $799, will drop to $699. Last but not least, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, which retail for $1,199 and start at $999, ought to be discontinued once the iPhone 16 arrives. Apple never returns the Pro from the previous year.

Why would it be different in 2024?

Everything revolves around Apple Intelligence.

The iPhone 15 should be avoided at all costs when the iPhone 16 arrives. You won’t get a phone that ages gracefully if you buy it at a discount. It won’t ever run Apple Knowledge. As a result, Apple Intelligence will not be available on the iPhone 14. Yet, it very well may be a decent $599 phone for specific types of buyers.

If you want a low-cost phone, it’s best to wait for the iPhone SE 4. Even though it will look like the iPhone 14, it will be just as powerful as the iPhone 16. The iPhone SE 4 could be released as soon as the beginning of 2025.

Besides the iPhone 16 phones, just the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max can run Apple Intelligence. They have the RAM and Neural Engine needed for AI on the device.

Apple Intelligence acquires the greatest software fragmentation in the iPhone’s history. When it launches, we’ll have non-AI iPhones in the wild and artificial intelligence iPhones. Only the two iPhone 15 Pros and four iPhone 16 models will be included in the second category. Another is coming with the iPhone SE 4.

Apple Intelligence will be available on all iPhones after the iPhone 16 series. Apple will fix this fragmentation in time.

What about a cheaper iPhone 15 Pro?

In the interim, Samsung and Google can move Galaxy AI and Gemini AI features to older Galaxy and Pixel gadgets. Samsung has begun this practice. Gemini AI features will also be available on numerous Android phones from Google, including older Pixel models. In the meantime, the older iPhones’ Apple Intelligence will only be available on the iPhone 15 Pro.

On the other hand, Apple sold a lot of iPhone 15 Pros. In the 12 months since the release of the iPhone 15, the majority of sales of the iPhone have been of the more expensive models.

Each year, Apple typically sells around 200 million iPhones. Assume that 50% of those were iPhone 15 Pro units. Apple now has approximately 100 million iPhones equipped with Apple Intelligence. That number is significantly higher than the combined sales of Pixel 8 and Galaxy S23 units.

AI features will be accessible to non-flagship gadgets and non-Pixel phones

Increasing the number of iPhones that can run Apple’s AI could be a good idea because Apple is probably planning to monetize its intelligence one day. Including the iPhone 15 Pros in its product lineup for an additional year is one approach.

How would Apple price them?

Apple will not raise prices this year due to the absence of price rumors for the iPhone 16. Like their predecessors, the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will start at $799 and $899, respectively. Additionally, the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max may start at $999 and $1,199, respectively. By eliminating the 128GB option, Apple may attempt to raise the price of the iPhone 16 Pro to $1,099, as it did with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

There is no price guide for the older Pro models from previous years. Once more, Apple never keeps those in stock.

Imagine a scenario where Apple gave the old Pros a $200 cost cut each. You can get an iPhone 16 or an iPhone 15 Pro for $799. Also, for $899, you could get an iPhone 16 Plus or an iPhone 15 Star Max.

Although Apple’s current lineup is already extremely confusing, it appears to be confusing. You can select from the 512GB iPhone 13, the 256GB iPhone 14 Plus, the 256GB iPhone 15, or the 128GB iPhone 15 Plus for $899.

Additionally, the discounted iPhone 15 Pro handsets would be excellent alternatives to the Pixel 9 models. This year, Google raised prices in line with the new iPhone pricing structure.

Even though the iPhone 16’s performance will be comparable to that of the previous Pro, some customers will desire less expensive Pros. With its improved design, Capture button, and other hardware upgrades, the iPhone 16 will be desired by others.

It sounds unlikely and baffling. However, the fact is that Apple may be ideally serviced by keeping the iPhone 15 Pro in stock and discontinuing the iPhone 15. Another option is to stop selling the iPhone 15 Plus and keep only the iPhone 15 Pro Max on the market for an additional year.

Apple’s lineup will be less cluttered this year thanks to the iPhone 17 series. The only non-AI iPhone in Apple’s inventory will be the iPhone 15/Plus, which will replace the iPhone 14. Because of this, the above strategy for the iPhone 15 Pro would be exceptional if it only applied to the iPhone 16 generation.

Despite what Apple does, you can buy the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max from different places once the iPhone 16 launches. Electronics retailers and carriers will in any case have stock accessible. To get rid of it, they’ll discount the Pros from last year themselves.