There are few things worse than rising prices, especially for expensive things like Apple's iPhones. But unfortunately, we might have to brace ourselves for a price hike on this year's iPhone 17 lineup.
According to a new investor note from Jefferies analyst Edison Lee, all four iPhone 17 models are expected to go up in price by around $50 compared to the iPhone 16 series. So if you were planning to pick up an iPhone 17 of some sort, you may want to start saving some extra cash.
Price |
|
iPhone 16 |
$799 |
iPhone 17 |
$849 (estimated) |
iPhone 16 Plus |
$899 |
iPhone 17 Air* |
$949 (estimated) |
iPhone 16 Pro |
$999 |
iPhone 17 Pro |
$1,049 (estimated) |
iPhone 16 Pro Max |
$1,199 |
iPhone 17 Pro Max |
$1,249(estimated |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
$1,299 |
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL |
$1,099 |
If this rumor proves true, it means that we may end up having to pay at least $849 for an iPhone 17, $1,049 for an iPhone 17 Pro and $1,249 for an iPhone 17 Pro Max. This is assuming they all have the same starting storage as the iPhone 16 series — 128GB for the standard and Pro models, and 256GB for the Pro Max.
The iPhone 17 Air is something of a mystery, as this is the first time we've had a device of this particular kind. If the analyst note is taken at face value, it could be only marginally more expensive than the iPhone 16 Plus was.
However, we've heard rumors that the new skinny phone could cost more than an iPhone 16 Pro Max. So we'll have to wait and see how that pans out.
iPhone 17 price hikes: What we know
This isn't the first time we've heard rumors of a potential price hike, either. Back in May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was considering raising prices this year. It's also not a huge surprise, considering there have been reports of possible price hikes for the past few iPhone releases — but so far the cost has stayed relatively static.
In fact, the closest we got to a price hike was Apple scrapping the 128GB storage option on iPhone 15 Pro Max. So while Apple kept the cost of a 256GB model the same ($1,199), the cost of entry was still $100 higher than the previous year.
A $50 price hike isn't a lot, but when you're already paying at least $799 for the latest smartphone, you don't want to have to pay more, regardless of how many upgrades the phone has or does not have. Still, if this rumor turns out to be true, iPhone users may be getting off lightly.
Other phones haven't been so lucky, including the $1,299 Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra. So, as annoying as an iPhone price hike might be, the prospect of paying $1,249 for an iPhone 17 Pro Max still means it's cheaper than some of the alternatives.
We won't likely find out for sure until the iPhone launch event, which is rumored to take place the week of September 8. In the meantime, you can keep up to date with all the latest news and rumors in our iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max hubs.
