Apple’s price hold on the iPhone may be about to end, according to a new report. And the price increase for the iPhone 17 could happen as soon as Monday, Aug. 10. Here’s the latest.
Apple announced a while ago that price increases were inevitable, thanks to a rare “hundred-year flood” in memory chip pricing, as Apple CEO Tim Cook called it.
Price increases duly followed for the iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro and HomePod, but left the iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch prices as they were.
Now, Weibo user Fixed Focus Digital has posted that things are about to change. “Rumor has it that iPhone17 will raise prices on August 10,” they said, though they qualified it by posing it as a question and saying that whether it will happen or not is hard to say.
They also commented that Apple’s plans for production capacity levels have also changed, though it’s not clear if that affects the retail prices.
Why An Unscheduled iPhone 17 Price Hike Could Happen Now
It had been expected, after the Mac and other price rises happened, that the next ones wouldn’t come until the iPhone 18 Pro is launched (though a new report suggests stocks will be limited at launch).
If the prediction is right, it leaves more questions to be answered. Will it be for every iPhone 17 model? Will it include the iPhone Air? And what will happen to pricing for the iPhone 16 series handsets which are still part of the current range?
Just as importantly, how long will the price rises last? Each September for the last few years, the process has been the same. First, the two Pro models have been removed from sale when the new series has been announced. Second, the current non-Pro iPhones have dropped in price. So, last September, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus each became $100 cheaper — they now cost $699 and $799 respectively.
How A Late iPhone 17 Price Rise Impacts iPhone 18 Pro Expectations
If the iPhone 17 Pro, for instance, sees a $100 price uptick from $1,099 to $1,199, does that give us a clue as to how much the iPhone 18 Pro might cost? And since some reports have suggested the 18 Pro could cost $200 more, is that the price change we’ll see now?
Similarly, if the iPhone 17 goes up from $799 to $899, will it drop back to $799 in September? And bear in mind that the base iPhone 18 isn’t expected to land until spring 2027.
Should You Buy An iPhone 17 Now?
There’s nothing to be done here except wait and see.
A word of caution: August is usually the slowest time for iPhone purchases as people know a new model is coming in a matter of weeks (read this for exactly when the iPhone 18 Pro will land and this for the latest on the first foldable iPhone), so customers are either waiting for the new model, or for the current one to drop in price.
If there is an iPhone 17 price change tomorrow, though, it could set expectations for how much the new phones will cost when they arrive next month.