Appe’s OLED-based iPhone 8 with an OLED display and wireless charging could cost $999 for a 128-gigabyte model, or $1,099 for the top-of-the-line model with 256 gigabytes of storage in the United States.
The latest prediction comes from Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski, who today said she expects the rumored high-end iPhone to be available in 128GB and 256GB storage capacities for $999 and $1,099 respectively. Unlike the iPhone 7, she doesn’t believe the iPhone 8 will be available in 32GB.
An excerpt from her research note distributed today:
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.
She told her clients in a note seen by Business Insider that the entry-level models of iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus may be priced at $649 and $769, respectively, like the current iPhone 7 models. The flagship 256GB iPhone 7 Plus model currently retails for $969.
She believes Apple has now finalized iPhone 8’s design.
“Apple usually explores multiple designs in parallel,” explains her note. “However, with only four months left until launch, we believe Apple has now locked down the design.”
UBS analyst Steven Milunovich shared entirely different pricing expectations last month, so it’s clear that analysts are simply guesstimating. He thinks the iPhone 8 will come in 64GB and 256GB storage capacities for $850-$900 and $950-$1,000 respectively. His research note didn’t mention 32GB or 128GB models.
The takeaway here is that the iPhone 8 will likely be very expensive. The device’s exact price tag is likely privy only to Apple at this point, however, so treat any estimate with a healthy dose of skepticism for now.
Due to the expected higher-priced iPhone 8 models, Goldman Sachs has raised its estimates further above consensus, setting its Apple price target to $170 from $164, representing ten percent upside from Thursday’s close, and raising its Apple fiscal 2018 earnings-per-share forecast to $11.50 from $11.00 versus the Wall Street average of $10.40.