Apple's iPhones, or any other product for that matter, are not cheap. However, with the introduction of the iPhone 12, we saw some models priced lower than their iPhone 11 counterparts when they were first released.

In the era of $1,000 smartphones, this was promising; DigiTimes supply chain sources claim that Apple's supplier TSMC will raise chip manufacturing costs. And that could translate into more expensive iPhones, starting with the iPhone 13, which could be released as early as September 17.

TSMC manufactures Apple's A-series mobile chips for the iPhone and iPad, as well as chips for many other major electronics companies. For some TSMC products, the price increase will be up to 20% starting in January 2022. Apple, however, will reportedly only see a 3-5% increase.

As a result, Apple may pass on the cost increase to consumers of the iPhone 13 and future iPhones, according to DigiTimes sources. Similarly, the chip manufacturing price increase could be bad news for the rumored new iPad mini 6 and followers of the current iPad, iPad Air, and iPad Pro.

However, this price will only take effect in January and may not apply to the iPhone 13, as it will affect orders starting in September. Production of the new iPhone has probably already begun and may last until the New Year, but hopefully Apple has already locked in existing terms and prices with TSMC.

Apple is rumored to be offering only a modest set of upgrades for the iPhone 13, and its suggested price increase could sting even more: a 120Hz display for the Pro model, a full upgrade of the camera sensor and lens, and Of course there are rumors of a more powerful chipset, but this does not appear to be as big a leap as the iPhone 12 series, which offered a new design and 5G for the first time.

Other notable upgrades for the iPhone 13 could include a faster 5G modem and computational photography upgrades such as portrait mode video and astrophotography mode. It is also possible that the iPhone 13 will feature an always-on display, but that may be limited to the Pro model. With Apple's announcement looming, check out our iPhone 13 hub for the latest news and rumors.