The next iPhone flagship is likely the priciest smartphone to come out ever as a new report suggests would-be buyers will have to shell out more $1000 to take home the most premium of the iPhone 8, which is also rumored to be labeled iPhone X or iPhone Edition.
The iPhone 8 starting price could be set at $850, which is for the 64GB base model, MacRumors reported, pointing to a UBS research note as source of its information. But Apple fans opting for the 26GB iPhone 8, the cost of ownership will likely exceed $1000 with the all-screen OLED panel and the storage capacity justifying the high asking price.
"The iPhone could very well be the first mainstream smartphone in the United States to have a four-digit price tag," the same report said though it added that the pricing provided by the UBS report is based on guesswork and not necessarily on solid inside information.
But upgrading to the rumored iPhone X would be worth every dollar as MacRumors suggested on its report that in the cards for the likely hardware upgrades include True Tone display that is embedded with Touch ID fingerprint sensor. And like the Galaxy S8, the next-generation iOS flagship will boast of iris scanner and facial recognition but further enhanced in time for the device unpacking.
The handset is also expected to unbox sporting an all-screen OLED display, the iconic Home button ditched as widely speculated. Also thrown in the mix could be quick and wireless charging, which are features both found on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.
Yet when compared with Samsung's latest flagship models, it will be easy to notice that while the handsets offer nearly identical specification and features plus the same gorgeous build and design, the iPhone 8 will prove more expensive, iDownloadBlog.com said in a related report.
In the U.S., the GS8 is said to start at around $720 while the larger GS8+ will be stickered with an $840 tag.
UBS said Apple will likely address the expected gripes to come out in the immediate aftermath of the iPhone 8 release date - that the handsets are too pricey - by making the other 2017 iPhone models relatively accessible. The investment firm said the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus will sell at $649 and $749, respectively.