There is growing speculation that Apple may hike the prices of its iPhone 17 lineup when new iPhone 18 Pro models launch in September, especially following CEO Tim Cook's recent comments about "unavoidable" price increases.
In late June, Cook told The Wall Street Journal that Apple is no longer able to absorb the increased cost of memory and storage chips, both of which are in high demand from AI and neocloud companies as they continue to build more data centers.
The scale of the AI infrastructure buildout has prompted debate over whether demand will ultimately justify the hundreds of billions of dollars being invested, but for now it is helping to drive supply constraints across the semiconductor industry. Cook likened the memory shortages to a hundred-year flood. "I've never seen anything like it in any area in over 40 years," he said.
Multiple companies have already raised their prices, including Samsung, Microsoft, Sony, and Dell. Apple has followed suit, increasing the prices of its Mac and iPad range, as well as the Apple TV, HomePods, and Vision Pro.
Analytics firm TrendForce suggests that Apple could revisit pricing for its iPhone 17 series and bring them up at the same time as the new generation arrives, as a way to partially offset rising memory costs.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone next month at its September 9 event, and there's a good chance the iPhone 17 lineup will (at least partially) stick around for another year as a relatively cheaper option.
Apple's existing iPhone retail prices are as follows:
- iPhone 17e: from $599
- iPhone 17: from $799
- iPhone Air: from $999
- iPhone 17 Pro: from $1,099
- iPhone 17 Pro Max: from $1,199
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal has published its own analysis estimating the iPhone 18 Pro could start as high as $1,399.
