Mark Gurman, a columnist who specializes in tracking Apple, wrote that when Apple launched the iPhone Over the next eight years, that price point barely budged. Despite inflation and continuous technology optimization, the iPhone 17 Pro now starts at $1,099, an increase of only $100.
Apple's entry-level iPhone sells for $799, which is only $100 more than a comparable model from 2017.
Ahead of the iPhone 17's release this week, some analysts were predicting significant price hikes — especially as President Donald Trump imposes tariffs. However, Apple has exercised restraint. The price of the Pro model did go up from $999 to $1,099, but Apple also doubled the base storage capacity to 256GB, so that softened the blow.
iPhone 17 Pro
The new iPhone Air model that replaces the iPhone 16 Plus has also increased its price by $100 to $999. The price adjustment this time is actually small, because consumers are already prepared for the greater price impact caused by tariffs. Earlier this year, some people even rushed to buy to avoid tariffs.
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However, this restraint will not last forever. Apple is unlikely to absorb the cost of tariffs indefinitely, and moving iPhone production lines will not eliminate rising costs. The company has already started hinting at what's coming next: the $2,000 iPhone era.
This year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max launches in a 2TB option priced at $1,999. This marks the first time an iPhone has reached the nearly $2,000 threshold. Apple wouldn't set this price if it didn't believe that a significant portion of its customers were willing to pay that much.
iPhone Air
The path is clear. Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to be launched next year and will compete with products from Samsung Electronics and Google. These models currently sell for $1,799-$2,419, depending on configuration.
Given that the single-screen iPhone Air costs $999 and that many of its components will also be used in future foldable models, the latter is likely to cost at least twice as much — before additional storage, cases, and accessories drive the price up further.