Apple has raised prices by $100 on nearly every iPhone model following the September 9 launch of the iPhone 18 Pro series. The new flagship phones start at $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max — a $100 increase over the previous Pro models, which have now been discontinued.
The price hikes aren’t limited to the new phones. Apple also increased the starting prices of the older models it is keeping in the lineup:
- iPhone 16: now $799 (up from $699)
- iPhone 17e: now $699 (up from $599)
- iPhone 17: now $899 (up from $799)
- iPhone Air: now $1,099 (up from $999)
None of these older models received hardware upgrades to justify the higher prices.
The timing lines up with the ongoing DRAM shortage that has been driven largely by strong demand from AI data centers. Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously described the memory supply situation as a “hundred-year flood,” noting that the company can no longer fully absorb rising memory and storage costs the way it once did. Similar price pressure has already been felt across the PC industry for several months, and it appears even Apple’s scale and negotiating power haven’t fully insulated it from the same market forces.
Summary Chart
| Model | Previous Price | New Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 18 Pro | — | $1,199 | New (+$100 vs 17 Pro) |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | — | $1,299 | New (+$100 vs 17 Pro Max) |
| iPhone 16 | $699 | $799 | +$100 |
| iPhone 17e | $599 | $699 | +$100 |
| iPhone 17 | $799 | $899 | +$100 |
| iPhone Air | $999 | $1,099 | +$100 |
Sources: Apple’s official pricing announcement and statements from CEO Tim Cook regarding memory supply pressures.
What do you think of the across-the-board $100 price increases? Will this affect your next iPhone upgrade plans? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
