A new leak suggests Apple could raise iPhone 17 prices as soon as the week beginning August 10. Apple already hiked prices for Macs, iPads and other devices in June due to rising DRAM and NAND chip costs.
An iPhone price hike is inevitable, though many expect the company to hold off until the iPhone 18 event in September.
Apple’s price hikes could hit the iPhone next
All major consumer electronic devices have become more expensive this year. This is due to the ongoing DRAM and NAND supply glut, leading to a massive hike in their prices.
Apple rolled out a hefty price increase for Macs and iPads in late June. It made some configurations more expensive by $1,000- $1,200. Back then, the company did not raise iPhone prices. But that may not be the case for much longer.
In a post on Weibo, Chinese leaker Fixed Focus Digital pointed to rumors about iPhone 17 prices going up on August 10. He adds that while it’s unclear whether Apple will raise prices, the company appears to have backtracked on a possible increase in production capacity.
The tipster, who has a long history of revealing Apple’s plans ahead of time, wasn’t able get specific about how much the iPhone 17, iPhone Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will go up in price.
Blame RAMageddon
With Apple itself forced to pay for steep quarter-over-quarter increases in DRAM and NAND chip prices, Apple will eventually have to pass the costs on to consumers.
Despite the price hikes, there’s not enough DRAM and NAND chip supply for consumer electronics. And the problem isn’t getting better any time soon. Apple is reportedly facing DRAM shortages for the iPhone 18 Pro.
September could bring an even bigger price shock
Even if Apple doesn’t raise iPhone prices this month, it’s all but certain to do so in September once the iPhone 18 launches. The new iPhones will carry a higher MSRP, potentially making them $100–$300 more expensive. Even existing iPhones will likely see a price hike.
Apple typically reduces older iPhone prices when a new model launches. But this time around, it could be different. The company may just keep the iPhone 17 lineup’s pricing unchanged, while making the iPhone 18 significantly more expensive.
There’s little Apple can do here, with the ongoing memory shortage forcing it to rethink pricing across the board.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
You can reach out to him at mail[at]rajeshpandey.me.
One response to “Brutal iPhone 17 price hikes could hit very soon”
This is why I decided to trade in my four-year-old iPhone 14 Pro Max for an iPhone 17 Pro Max yesterday. I was going to wait and get an 18 pro max but I’m not hearing that it will be significantly different from the 17 and will likely be much more expensive. With the trade in value of my 14 Pro Max it’s pretty decent over a 36-month period. Glad I did this before any price increases.