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

[joshwithachance]

I don’t expect them to raise the price on the current models. But I do expect them to keep the prices the same after the new models, priced $100-200 higher, launch in September.

 

[dumastudetto]

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

The components driving up prices will be the same in both 17 and 18.

The theory why iPhone prices have been held for now is because they still have some RAM supply at lower prices locked in, and they want to target all that supply at iPhones. Macs have been supply constrained for this reason, but now they can use higher cost supply the inventory should build back up again.

 

[JPack]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2069275613861732712

 

[zkap]

Hopefully the trade-in value of my 15 Pro will be just enough to offset the price increase so I'll buy the 18 Pro Max at the same price that the 17 Pro Max is available for now.

 

[JPack]

The components driving up prices will be the same in both 17 and 18.

The theory why iPhone prices have been held for now is because they still have some RAM supply at lower prices locked in, and they want to target all that supply at iPhones. Macs have been supply constrained for this reason, but now they can use higher cost supply the inventory should build back up again.

Apple used up it's "locked in" low price RAM a long time ago. Tim Cook already stated that.

The exact same type of LPDDR5X RAM is used in iPhone and Mac and iPad. The only reason Apple holds out longer is iPhone serves as the anchor. A lower iPhone price drives more Mac and iPad purchases.

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple used up it's "locked in" low price RAM a long time ago. Tim Cook already stated that.

The exact same type of LPDDR5X RAM is used in iPhone and Mac and iPad. The only reason Apple holds out longer is iPhone serves as the anchor. A lower iPhone price drives more Mac and iPad purchases.

The "low price" supply agreements may have expired, but they clearly have other lower-cost deals still active that allowed them to hold prices for as long as they have. Once those supply deals terminate or are exhausted, iPhone prices will also rise in line with everything else.

Apple isn't going to take a big hit on margins of its best-selling product in the hope they may lead to some extra Mac or iPad sales. And you are making my point when you say they use the same type of RAM... that's why Macs were supply-constrained because Apple wanted as much of the supply as possible going to iPhones.

 

[tbgb50]

I doubt they will change prices on current iPhones. Apple have been overcharging for RAM forever; can afford to make it another 3-4 months.

 

[Populus]

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.

You’re right, I forgot about it. Also, it’s possible to find it with great discounts.

 

[Mojohanna32]

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.

I think that the increases on the other hardware is meant as an offset to the iphone. Maybe they think that those buying computers and ipads will foot the bill (those products have longer replacement cycles anyway) and they stay away from pushing up the price on their cash cow. I have looked into what Samsung is doing so it will be interesting to see what does happen. I don't think either one of them wants to do a mid/late cycle increase first.

 

[NewOldStock]

Prices go up!
Stock market goes up!
Profit taking goes up!
All of 2026 up!
=====
Going to be losers in 2027.

 

[Herr Podspro]

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.

Or maybe Apple will actively decrease their margins to not fail this launch like the Vision Pro's. Eat some cost now to avoid bad press and market devaluation together with fewer sales anyway.
We'll see.
That all is probably the reason why Cook remains with Apple for the foreseeable future.

 

[Tsepz]

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

I agree with this for a small number of people who:

1. Are price sensitive
2. Want ALL the Apple Intelligence features including the ones the Pro phones get.

If the above 2 things don’t matter to you then you can get a 18 happily, especially if you have a significantly older iPhone like a pre-120hz ProMotion iPhone that you want to upgrade or just want the latest and greatest, no need to rush to buy a 17 so close to the 18 Pro and Foldable launch.

 

[now i see it]

Definitely next new iPhone prices will go up is my guess.
How much?
Well … the base model iPad price just got jacked up 30%.
So plan on something in that ballpark.

 

[SiXiam]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2069275613861732712

89% increase isn't bad and that is because this type of memory isn't being used in data centers. That type of memory (DDR5) has gone up 400%.

 

[vi2867]

I expect a minimum $200 increase on new iPhone Pros. I thought they would increase prices, but start at a higher storage of 512 GB. I’m pretty sure that is not happening now. This means if you have been getting the 512 GB model, this will now be a $400 increase from last year’s base model. This is a 36% increase if you want a higher storage level.

 

[JPack]

89% increase isn't bad and that is because this type of memory isn't being used in data centers. That type of memory (DDR5) has gone up 400%.

Nvidia’s Vera Rubin uses LPDDR5X.

89% is just Q1 to Q2 this year. It’s already increased by multiples before the year started. And we if we still don’t understand, the shortage is in wafers. That means making HBM means much less capacity to make other types of DRAM.

 

[Mr.McMac]

The components driving up prices will be the same in both 17 and 18.

The theory why iPhone prices have been held for now is because they still have some RAM supply at lower prices locked in, and they want to target all that supply at iPhones. Macs have been supply constrained for this reason, but now they can use higher cost supply the inventory should build back up again.

Let's be realistic here, they aren't raising prices for the current models because of a lack on the discount bulk deals they have. They sourced their deals atleast two years out with TSMC the 2nm chips.

The problem comes from the massive demand from the industrial sector, which this year caused a massive spike in demand for deals going forward into 2028, 2029, etc...at TSMC as well as Intel and Micron. This caused rougher terms for apple this year which means they have to calculate the cost for what should be 1.4nm chip sets in 2028. Thing is that may not happen now and they be sourcing for bulk in the 2nm fabrication production while the industrial sectors cringes for the 1.4nm efficiency benchmarks.

None the less a rendition on M5 chips for Max and potentially the Ultra seems utterly stupid considering the consumer base should already have a M5 max Mac. On top of this we are still missing the Studios M5 chip set which should have already been in production before the industrial spam.

Ultimately Apple is pricing today's Macs for 2028's cost which is substantial. The New CEO comes from the Neo line and air line ups, which is a mix of ultra efficiency with most affordability. Rumors has it, that he is aiming Apple into a more budget friendly ecosystem with basic bulk. For the Iphones 17s, the only reason why they wouldn't up sell, is because they haven't sold enough of the warehouse stock with the 18's most definitely 3 months out that window needs to fill the bottom line.

 

[HouseLannister]

18Pro: $1299
18ProMax: $1399
18Ultra: $2399

And introducing the new accessory for the iPhone 18 series:
The RAM doubler.

Warning: You may have to dump a chunk of long-term memory to enable.

 

[98PoundGeekling]

I really need to get my head around which AI features I care about so I don't end up spending more than I need to on my next iPhone. I'm ready to pass my 15 on to my teenager and jump on the next iteration though.

 

[Marko3563]

Still sitting here debating if I want to upgrade now to a 17PM from the Air, or wait til September and see how bad the damage is.

Really hate I have to wait til September to see what trade value of the Air will be. I could sell it on Ebay and such but fees and people saying it arrived in an empty box is too much of a headache.

On one hand I wouldn't mind the Air 2 IF the battery was better and the additional camera, but at the same time I do miss the Pro camera system. Decisions.

 

[ab2c4]

I think at this point the big price increase will come in September with the 18's. To be honest I thought it was going to hit last week. Apple has been very generous with its customers, giving them plenty of time to buy a new iphone now at the lower prices.

 

[drugdoubles]

better just buy a new pro with current price now if you need one