Apple fans have started seriously speculating that the new iPhone will cost a lot – possibly at $1500 at the most expensive.

iphone 8Right now, the starter iPhone 7 costs $649, so these claims are well within reason.

These speculations come from a variety of places, most notably writer John Gruber, who correctly predicted that the original gold version of the Apple Watch would cost around $10,000. According to Gruber, Apple will release a more expensive model of the iPhone to drive demand down. This in turn will make it easier for the company to experiment with new features without risking widespread failure.

Here are some features we’ll likely see in the new iPhone:

  • Battery saving LCD Screen
  • Full phone face screen
  • Virtual home button built into the screen
  • Faster performance chips
  • Updated 3D sensitive camera
  • Wireless charging

If Apple releases an expensive premium iPhone 8, it will likely put out to other lesser versions (with fewer upgrades) as well. All models, however, are likely to have LCD screens, since this is the next step in smartphone upgrades.

So is it worth the wait?

According to Trusted Review, holding out to upgrade when the new iPhone is announced in September is only worth it if your phone is rather old.

If you’re using the iPhone 6S (or something older) then you’ll definitely want to wait for the iPhone 8. Apple’s next handset will usher in a major redesign, and so if you’re coming to the end of a two-year contract, it’s absolutely worth waiting until September to see what’s in store.

If you have the iPhone 7, you probably won’t need to upgrade. Unless you’re a die-hard Apple fan who needs to be at the bleeding edge of Cupertino tech, it probably isn’t going to be worth the leap. Even considering the fact that the iPhone 8 will certainly offer big changes, the iPhone 7 is still a capable handset by modern standards. We’d recommended hanging around for whatever 2018 brings.

Text image via Business Week.