In the wake of the global chip shortage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been some speculation as to whether Apple plans to raise the price of the upcoming iPhone 13. For now, however, it appears that a price increase will be spared.

Supply chain market research firm TrendForce today released a report claiming that the next iPhone series, which will be called iPhone 13 or perhaps iPhone 12s, will start at a price point "relatively comparable" to the current iPhone 12 model

The report claims that the next iPhone series, which will be called iPhone 13 or possibly iPhone 12s, will start at a "relatively similar" price point to the current iPhone 12 model.

The iPhone 12 Mini is the most affordable model at $699, the standard iPhone 12 at $799, the iPhone 12 Pro at $999, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max at $1,099. While this language allows room for some price fluctuation, we believe that ultimately Apple will maintain its "aggressive pricing strategy" even in the face of rising component costs.

TrendForce is also bullish on the sales potential of the iPhone 13 line. To meet the increased demand resulting from pandemic deregulation and a recovering economy, Apple expects to increase cell phone production by 12.3% year over year during 2021. Overall, Apple expects to produce approximately 223 million smartphones this year, including the iPhone 13 line.

As with previous rumors and reports, TrendForce suggests that the new iPhone 13 models will not look significantly different from previous models. However, the company agrees with speculation that the new iPhone will have a small notch at the top of the screen for the TrueDepth camera system.

However, there will be no change in the maximum storage capacity of the new phones: TrendForce reports that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 are equivalent and that a version with 1TB storage will not be released. Currently, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini offer up to 256GB of storage, while the Pro model has a maximum of 512GB.

TrendForce also noted that the iPhone 13 Pro model will have a smoother 120 Hz refresh rate. The company also claims that all iPhone 13 models will feature the sensor-shift camera image stabilization technology first introduced in the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Finally, TrendForce states that given the reportedly poor sales of the iPhone 12 mini, "Apple is expected to focus on promoting the three non-mini models in the iPhone 12s series."