These specific prices are based on a single rumor, and even that was only "up to" $200 increases. Even if this latest "confirmation" were accurate, it could easily be $50 increases. A month ago Apple released a major update to the Mac Studio but kept the price the same, unveiled the 15" MacBook Air at a reasonable price, and dropped the price of the 13" MacBook Air. That doesn't really sound like a company that's about to announce a ~15% price increase to their most popular product but rather one that's being quite sensitive to price pressure on buyers.
I would argue that because the iPhone is their most popular product, they will do it.
When they released the iPhone X back in 2017 at $999, people were outraged at the price increase for the average iPhone price, and yet we keep buying more expensive phones.
iPhones are investment. Apple Care saved my ass several times as they replaced my with brand new ones, and my iPhone 8 Plus is still great. It had updates since 2017 and I have it since 2017.
iPhone 15 will be the most expensive ever released
Isn’t every new iPhone model more expensive then the last? That statement is true for literally every iPhone. Obviously they are going to charge more with inflation and the need for profits. Shouldn’t be a surprise.