Unexpected Price Hikes Across the Apple Ecosystem

Following Apple's recent event showcasing the new iPhone 18 Pro and the innovative iPhone Duo, the company has quietly introduced significant price adjustments across its entire smartphone portfolio. These increases affect both the latest flagship releases and the older models still available through the official store.


While industry analysts point to potential ongoing component shortages and rising costs for essential parts like RAM as likely drivers for these changes, Apple has not issued an official statement regarding the price adjustments. This move follows a similar pattern observed earlier this year with price hikes applied to the Mac, iPad, HomePod, and Apple TV ranges.


Flagship Models: Pro and Pro Max

The new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max arrive at a higher entry point compared to their predecessors, the iPhone 17 Pro series. The impact of these price increases scales significantly with storage capacity:

  • Entry-level models: Experienced a moderate increase of $100 / £100 / AU$100.
  • High-capacity storage: The 1TB and 2TB versions faced the steepest hikes.

Specifically, the iPhone 18 Pro Max (2TB) has seen a substantial jump, rising by $500 / £500 / AU$900 compared to the previous generation, representing a 20% increase in some markets.


Legacy iPhones Also Affected

In a somewhat unconventional move, Apple also increased the pricing for older models that remain in its retail lineup. This makes older devices, such as the iPhone 16, significantly less competitive in terms of value.

«The two-year-old iPhone 16 is now hard to recommend given it's now 14% pricier in the US and UK following its $100 / £100 increase for the 128GB model.»

Additionally, the iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air have all seen pricing surges. The iPhone Air, in particular, saw its 1TB variant jump by as much as 21% in the US and UK markets.


Market Context

While these increases for existing models are unusual for Apple, some observers suggest that the introduction of the premium $1,999 iPhone Duo may serve to anchor these price hikes. By introducing a new, ultra-high-end tier, the rest of the lineup may appear differently positioned to consumers. Nevertheless, for those seeking high-capacity storage, the current pricing landscape represents a notable financial hurdle for Apple enthusiasts.