Assuming this is true, my off the cuff guess is that they’ve realized when they do a standard and pro segmentation on iPhones, people are opting for the Pro and the better features that come with it despite the price uptick.
Articles lately have come out that Apple has been a little surprised how little people are buying the standard phones and instead going for the Pro line. This feels like a gamble on cranking up that “pro” level segmentation to see if they can squeeze another $100-$300 out of phone buyers because people want the hot shit offering they put out every year.