The iPhone 8’s Most Realistic Price, Storage Prediction As Of Date Has Just Surfaced
The iPhone 8’s price has always been one of the most interesting aspects of the upcoming flagship device. Rumors about the pricing of the 10th-generation iPhone are abounding, with numerous speculations, even from reputable analysts, contradicting each other. Recently, however, what seems to be the iPhone 8’s most realistic pricing predictions have emerged, courtesy of a Wall Street analyst from Goldman Sachs. Needless to say, the upcoming flagship might indeed be very expensive.
The recent pricing predictions were stated in a research note from Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski, who said that the upcoming device would most likely breach the $1,000 barrier. According to the analyst, even the base model of the iPhone 8, which would feature the least amount of storage, would probably be priced very close to $1,000, according to a MacRumors report. What is also interesting is the fact that Jankowski also predicted in her research note that the upcoming flagship smartphone would most likely not be released with a 32GB variant. Instead, its base model would already feature 128GB of storage, seemingly to further justify its price.
“Relative to the 128GB iPhone 7 Plus, we estimate the new features and higher commodity prices to increase the bill of materials by over $70, which we expect Apple to offset via a $130 price increase, resulting in a starting price of $999 for the 128GB capacity and $1,099 for the 256GB capacity (we don’t expect the iPhone 8 to come in 32GB).”
#iPhone8 pic.twitter.com/JLpoXlTlBf
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) May 10, 2017
Numerous Apple fans on the MacRumors forums have weighed in on the analyst’s predictions, with many stating that Jankowski might have actually hit the bullseye, considering that the iPhone 8 would be featuring numerous breakthrough technologies that Apple has held out on over the past couple of years. Many iPhone users have expressed their reservations about the predicted pricing of the iPhone 8, however, stating that the price increase from the handset’s current generation is a bit too much.
Considering the fact that the most expensive configuration of the smartphone in the current generation, the iPhone 7 Plus, is only $969 in the United States, the predicted $999 for the base level 128GB iPhone 8 definitely appears to be a drastic increase in cost. After all, the $969 iPhone 7 Plus already offers users with an industry-leading dual-camera sensor as well as a massive 256GB worth of internal storage.
A 9to5Mac report further stated that Jankowski’s research also included several encouraging points about the Cupertino-based tech giant’s flagship for 2017. Among these are features of the upcoming mobile device that have long been emerging from the rumor mill, including an OLED display, powerful 3D-sensing cameras, and advanced, industry-leading mobile AR technologies. The mention of AR in the recent Goldman Sachs research note is quite interesting, as the feature could be one of the reasons behind the rather unorthodox vertical orientation of the iPhone 8’s cameras, which was teased in alleged schematics of the upcoming device.
About white version.. I think there are two variants. #iPhone8
1. Like S8. Black only front bezel.
2. Like this. pic.twitter.com/cjuvc4Rc8N— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) May 10, 2017
The Wall Street analyst also stated that fiscal 2018 would most likely prove as a favorable time for Apple. According to Jankowski, she expects Apple to sell as much as 243 million iPhone units in 2018. Due to the iPhone 8’s high price, the Goldman Sachs analyst stated that the average iPhone selling price would increase to $763 during fiscal 2018, significantly higher than the $675 that was estimated by numerous other Wall Street analysts.
“The first $1,000 iPhone can drive meaningful upside. The bottom line is that we are raising our FY18/19 EPS estimates further above consensus. We think the higher demand for the larger (5.8?) form factor will be supported by the fact that the iPhone 8 will have compelling new features not available in the smaller form factors.”
The iPhone 8 is expected to be released sometime in September of 2017, though reported issues in the production of the device have predicted that the upcoming flagship handset would be available for consumers around October or even as late as November of 2017. While the device’s predicted pricing included in the Wall Street analyst’s recent research note is extremely plausible, Apple has not provided any official pricing on its 2017 halo device to date.
[Featured Image by Richard Vogel/AP Images]
