Other Q: Will Apple raise iPhone prices before the (expected) September 2026 event ?

[deaglecat]

It seems odd that today's 20-30% price rises have not (yet?) affected iPhones.

It is likely that the new phones will attract a higher price at launch. But what about the existing models....

This thread to vote and discuss expectations.

 

[HouseLannister]

It's harder to raise iPhone prices mid-cycle because you have so many carriers and they all have signage and marketing and such. I definitely think there will be a price hike in September.

The one to watch is the Fold/Ultra. I think everyone has been wishcasting that this device will be $1999 and are going to be shocked when it comes in at or over $2499 now. Might be just the wrong time for the device. Was unlikely to get more than 5% of total phone sales before price hikes and now the extra high price might cut sales expectations even further.

 

[Mlrollin91]

iPhones have the highest profit margin. I think Apple absorbs the cost for a few more months and then raises the prices on incoming lineup. Sales of the 17 Pro/Pro Max are likely dwindling anyway as anyone looking to upgrade will just hold out for 2-3 months provided they do not need a device now.

 

[deaglecat]

I have a horrible feeling that they will raise prices and the current prices of 17 and 17pro will seem like bargains come September.

Rationale: They cannot afford for the 17s to heavily undercut the 18pro (assuming no regular 18 launches). In this economy many would just stick to the 17 which is exceptional value for its capabilities...

 

[Mlrollin91]

I have a horrible feeling that they will raise prices and the current prices of 17 and 17pro will seem like bargains come September.

Rationale: They cannot afford for the 17s to heavily undercut the 18pro (assuming no regular 18 launches). In this economy many would just stick to the 17 which is exceptional value for its capabilities...

I do not foresee anyone that would be willing to buy an 18 Pro/PM to ultimately "downgrade" to an iPhone 17 over a few hundred dollars. They are different categories of phones. RAM, Cameras, USB transfer speeds, etc. One buys a Pro phone for the features it has. I think the iPhone 17 price remains the same until the iPhone 18 comes out; 18 P/PM will have a $200-300 price increase.

 

[deaglecat]

I do not foresee anyone that would be willing to buy an 18 Pro/PM to ultimately "downgrade" to an iPhone 17 over a few hundred dollars. They are different categories of phones. RAM, Cameras, USB transfer speeds, etc. One buys a Pro phone for the features it has. I think the iPhone 17 price remains the same until the iPhone 18 comes out; 18 P/PM will have a $200-300 price increase.

Hope you are right, buddy !

 

[JPack]

iPhone is the anchor in the Apple universe meaning consumers buy iPad and Mac because of iPhone. This means Apple will do everything possible to keep prices stable. But that doesn't mean they'll hold out until September.

If we apply the same formula to iPhone, 8GB and 12GB devices with 256GB storage get a $100 (Neo) to $150 price (iPad Air) increase. Apple might try the low end of that because iPhone doesn't get edu discounts, unlike iPad and Mac.

For the iPhone Ultra, I'd expect it to launch at $2,199 now.

 

[jz0309]

It seems odd that today's 20-30% price rises have not (yet?) affected iPhones.

It is likely that the new phones will attract a higher price at launch. But what about the existing models....

This thread to vote and discuss expectations.

iPhone is 50+% of Apple's revenue, increasing prices today would have put a significant dip into sales.
As I have a 17PM I personally have no interest in the 18, but, I did "downgrade" from 512 to 256 storage and I can see that more people will think about that questions if Apple raises the price too much.
If we do not see an increase before Sep, I think prices will go up modestly by $100-150.
We might also see a $100 increase soon and then another $100 in Sep for the new models.

IF Sep increases were $200-300 as one suggest here (and have suggested in other threads), I think iPhone sales will see a sharp drop for the 18 lineup and that'll hurt more than a hit on margins

 

[deaglecat]

iPhone is the anchor in the Apple universe meaning consumers buy iPad and Mac because of iPhone. This means Apple will do everything possible to keep prices stable. But that doesn't mean they'll hold out until September.

If we apply the same formula to iPhone, 8GB and 12GB devices with 256GB storage get a $100 (Neo) to $150 price (iPad Air) increase. Apple might try the low end of that because iPhone doesn't get edu discounts, unlike iPad and Mac.

For the iPhone Ultra, I'd expect it to launch at $2,199 now.

... or just eat the margin in the interim....but not reduce the 17 prices when the Sept event happens.

18 pro at 1300
18 (does not launch till spring 27)
17 pro (discontinued)
17 stays at current 799.

that leaves the 17e suspiciously cheap at 599.

(not sure that I believe that scenario).

 

[JPack]

... or just eat the margin in the interim....but not reduce the 17 prices when the Sept event happens.

18 pro at 1300
18 (does not launch till spring 27)
17 pro (discontinued)
17 stays at current 799.

that leaves the 17e suspiciously cheap at 599.

(not sure that I believe that scenario).

The upshot of hiking it soon is the news about iPhone 18 series will about the tech rather than prices.

"iPhone 18 Pro still starts at $1,199, same as the price hiked iPhone 17 Pro."

 

[AppleForeverandEver]

Prices are going up on everything. Apple is no exception. Apple’s costs have gone up and they can’t simply absorb it.

 

[zenmacx]

It seems odd that today's 20-30% price rises have not (yet?) affected iPhones.

The days not over 😂

It's good to be Apple

 

[HouseLannister]

It's good to be Apple

Maybe not today. The stock is down $17.70 so far.

 

[dmk1974]

I have a couple of regular 16's that the plan was to leverage for upgrades this fall (T-Mobile Go5G+ plan), but with the massive hikes today on many other devices, I'm thinking I might take advantage of their recent promo where I can trade in a 16 (and other models in the list) for a 17 Pro Max with a $1100 credit now instead of rolling the dice on whatever hike there will be in a few months on the 18 series.

With my Costco account, I'll also get back a $100 Costco GC in 3-4 months and there's no $35 device activation fee. Just would need to pay the $99 in sales tax on the phone. Think worth it instead of waiting?

 

[Populus]

I’d say that if Apple had the intention of rising iPhone prices before the September announcement, they would’ve done so today. Although maybe they are just testing the waters before a second price increase, but given the unpopularity of such announcements, I guess the fewer the increases, the better…

So I think they will wait till September to announce the new iPhone 18 Pro at $1299, and then update iPhone 17 price from $799 to $999. That way, the upcoming iPhone 18 will avoid a price increase and be able to pack 12GB of RAM.

Do you like my strategy? Tim, if you’re reading this, my PM inbox is open. I live in Europe but I wouldn’t mind packing my things and moving to California if you pay well 😉

 

[zenmacx]

Maybe not today. The stock is down $17.70 so far.

Indeed, I saw that after I posted 😳

 

[Macdctr]

Does it really matter if Apple raises prices before September? It’s going to happen unfortunately. Hopefully not but if it does . . . it is what it is. Nothing that can be done about it. Better start looking at the iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro series to pick up then . . . they won’t be affected by the price increase and support Apple Intelligence.

 

[Marko3563]

I would have thought Apple would have upped the price today with everything else unless they didn't due to negative press they knew they would receive.

I expect iPhone to get a price hike, but how much i don't know. I want to upgrade to an 18PM if the price isn't outrageous. if it is, i'll go with a cheaper 17PM.

 

[Sami13496]

They won’t raise iPhone prices before the event. Instead, they’ll introduce the new iPhones at higher prices while keeping the outgoing models at their current price levels. That’s my guess.

 

[conmee]

They won’t raise iPhone prices before the event. Instead, they’ll introduce the new iPhones at higher prices while keeping the outgoing models at their current price levels. That’s my guess.

I don't know... Two reasons to get all the price gouging increases out of the way this summer: 1) Get all the bad news over with before John Ternus takes the helm and he won't be blamed for/sullied by any price increases right out of the gate; 2) Apple doesn't want a price increase to be headline news detracting from the launch messaging. As @JPack said, it's a better message at launch to say "Look, we haven't raised the price of the 18 Pro vs the 17 Pro (post-price increase)." Also, highly unlikely, but there's 0.001% chance that Apple shows some courage and doesn't raise the price of the 17 Pro or 18 Pro and the foldable comes in at $1,999. Yeah, I know, that's crazy talk... I'll take my meds now. 😉

 

[aliomenti]

I don’t think so. They are price anchoring products that are not known to be due an imminent release, such as the Apple TV 4K, which saw a whopping 67.1% increase for the wifi version in the UK. This will mean they won’t have to increase prices when they launch it, long after the majority forget about price increases. Given the iPhone Pro/Pro Max has a known release timeframe, they are unlikely to want to hurt those sales, especially as the iPhone is their core product. They might increase the base iPhone and other iPhones before their release next year.

 

[spartan1967]

Keep in mind iOS 27 is basically a cleaned up version of iOS 26 sans Apple Intelligence. So the 17s are not really a downgrade versus comparable 18s when they come out if you do not use Apple Intelligence. The only thing I can see waiting for the 18s is if you are a gamer on your iPhone or if you are into Apple Intelligence.

 

[Populus]

Does it really matter if Apple raises prices before September? It’s going to happen unfortunately. Hopefully not but if it does . . . it is what it is. Nothing that can be done about it. Better start looking at the iPhone 15 Pro and 16 Pro series to pick up then . . . they won’t be affected by the price increase and support Apple Intelligence.

In my opinion, whoever that can afford it and don’t mind it’s size and bulkiness, should get an iPhone 17 Pro NOW.

The regular iPhone 17 is also an excellent choice, but due to the 8GB of memory, it doesn’t support the most advanced Siri AI

 

[Fried_Gold]

iPhone 18 Pro etc will be the new more expensive price and the 17 will stick around for it's current price which will become the new "discounted" price

 

[Macdctr]

In my opinion, whoever that can afford it and don’t mind it’s size and bulkiness, should get an iPhone 17 Pro NOW.

The regular iPhone 17 is also an excellent choice, but due to the 8GB of memory, it doesn’t support the most advanced Siri AI

There are only two “advanced Siri AI” features that most won’t miss though. On the most part devices supporting Apple Intelligence, including Siri AI without those two “advanced features” will get along fine.

You forget that the Air, also having 12GB RAM, will have these “advanced” Siri AI features you’re talking about. In my opinion having both the 17 Pro and Air, the Air for most people, is still a solid iPhone for every day use.