Yikes.
Apple has officially announced its new range of iPhones, with the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
The announcement marks the first time Apple has implemented a big display redesign since the iPhone X in 2017, with both new handsets sporting a pill-shaped cutout instead of the customary notch, new (and faster) A16 Bionic chips, and an always-on display.
However, we're not here to discuss the specs of the new phones but rather focus on the iPhone-shaped elephant in the room.
The price hike in Ireland and Europe for the iPhone 14 range is something that cannot be ignored. We're seeing increases of over €200 for the Pro Max model and up to €100 for the standard model compared to last year's models, making them vastly more expensive to purchase in Ireland than they are in the United States.
The standard iPhone model has risen from €929 to €1,029, while the price of the Pro model has risen from €1,179 to €1,339.
The price of the Pro Max model has risen from €1,279 to €1,489.
However, in the US, Apple said the entry-level iPhone 14 will start at $799, the same amount that it initially charged for last year’s iPhone 13.
The successor to the iPhone 13 Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro, remains at $999. Apple’s highest-end iPhone, the Pro Max, still starts at $1099 for the new version.
With today's exchange rate, which has seen basically parity between the euro and the dollar, this means the phones are drastically cheaper in the US than in Ireland.
While the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max do have some meaningful upgrades over its previous iterations, forking out such figures during a cost of living crisis will be a difficult sell for a lot of people, and the selective price hike in certain markets will also leave a bitter taste for many.
It's clearly much cheaper to pick one up in the US than over here, so maybe if you're on the fence about buying, wait until you make a trip to the US (as you do) and pick one up over there.
