Skip to main content

Is the iPhone X too expensive for you? Rumored price cut may change that

The most expensive iPhone yet may become slightly cheaper next year, if new rumors are to be believed — potentially enticing more people to buy an iPhone X. The reason? Apple isn’t selling enough of them in the United States, Singapore, Taiwan, and other important markets.

This comes from a DigiTimes report, a website known for its hit-or-miss rumor coverage, so don’t take any future price cut as certain. But it follows reports that Apple plans to lower its iPhone X orders for the first three months of 2018 due to an apparent lack of demand. The best way to drum up new business? Cut the price.

Analysts at JL Warren Capital blamed “weak demand because of the iPhone X’s high price point,” Bloomberg reported, and expect shipments to fall from 30 million over the last three months to 25 million in the first three months of 2018. Other analysts estimate far higher sales numbers — and greater drops for the iPhone X next year.

The iPhone X starts at $1,000, but the flagship phone can cost a lot more depending on the amount of storage space it contains. How much will Apple cut the price? The DigiTimes rumor doesn’t go into any detail, and should it come to pass, we shouldn’t expect the iPhone X to suddenly challenge the OnePlus 5T, which retails for about $500. The report’s wording suggests the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus — which suffered from poor sales due to anticipation for the iPhone X —  may also fall in price.

Apple isn’t averse to dropping the price of an iPhone, but mostly it does so when a new model is about to come out or has just been released. If the outgoing iPhone is still current in Apple’s range, then a $100 price drop isn’t uncommon. Cutting the price on a current phone just a few months after release is more unusual; but it did pull a similar trick to reinvigorate iPad sales in 2017.

The iPad cuts may give us a clue about how much Apple could reduce the iPhone X by, and they range from $50 to $100. Would you consider buying a $950 iPhone X, after deciding a $1,000 iPhone X was too much? For now, no such price drop is official, and the rumor’s source isn’t always reliable; but it’s intriguing due to how it fits in with analyst concerns about the iPhone X’s overall sales success.

Editors' Recommendations

Andy Boxall
Senior Mobile Writer
Andy is a Senior Writer at Digital Trends, where he concentrates on mobile technology, a subject he has written about for…
Does the iPhone 15 have an overheating problem? Here’s what we know
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max's camera module.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Last fall, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series, which generated a lot of excitement among consumers. However, some users who got their hands on the devices early on expressed dissatisfaction by taking to social media to complain about overheating issues.

Read more
Your iPhone just got a new iOS update, and you should download it right now
iPhone 15 Pro display with iPhone 15 Pro Max in background.

Apple has just released a new security update, iOS 17.4.1. This comes a little over two weeks after iOS 17.4, which was a big update. iOS 17.4.1 doesn't add any new features, but it's still an important update you'll want to download as soon as you can.

With iOS 17.4.1, Apple states that the update “provides important bug fixes and security updates and is recommended for all users.” Apple doesn’t mention any specifics of these bug fixes, but more details on what this security update addresses may be revealed at a later date.

Read more
The DOJ has sued Apple over the iPhone. Here’s what it means for you
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro seen from the back.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro (left) and iPhone 15 Pro Max Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

If you're reading this article, chances are you have an iPhone. It's also quite likely that your friends and family members also use an iPhone. The iPhone is the smartphone of choice for millions of people in the U.S., and now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing Apple over the iPhone monopoly it has established over the years.

Read more