Apple raises iPhone prices $100 across entire lineup

Apple ↗ 1.75% on Wednesday raised prices by $100 across virtually its entire iPhone lineup — both newly announced and older models — breaking from its longstanding practice of discounting previous-generation devices when new ones arrive. The company attributed the increases to a global memory chip shortage driven by surging AI demand.

New and Old Phones Get the Same Treatment

The iPhone 18 Pro, unveiled at Apple's annual fall event on September 9, starts at $1,199, while the Pro Max begins at $1,299 — each $100 more than their iPhone 17 Pro predecessors. The company's first foldable device, the iPhone Duo, debuted at $1,999.businessinsider+2

What caught many off guard was the treatment of older models. When Apple's online store reopened after the event, the iPhone 17e had risen from $599 to $699, the iPhone 17 from $799 to $899, and the iPhone Air from $999 to $1,099. The iPhone 16, which Apple continues to sell, returned to its original $799 launch price after having been discounted to $699 last year. Apple also discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.techcrunch+2

"What makes this pricing overhaul truly unusual is how it affects older devices," Android Headlines noted. "Usually, the older models are discounted when Apple releases a new generation."androidheadlines

A Memory Crisis Years in the Making

The price hikes stem from a worldwide shortage of DRAM and NAND memory chips, as AI companies consume vast quantities for data centers and hardware. Tim Cook, who stepped aside as CEO on September 1 in favor of John Ternus, told The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 0.21% in June that the situation was a "hundred-year flood" and that "price increases are unavoidable."Yahoo! Finance

"We're doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we've been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable," Cook said at the time. Apple had already raised Mac, iPad, and HomePod prices by 15% to 25% in late June.macrumors+2

Contract memory prices rose over 50% quarter-over-quarter in Q1 2026, according to Dolphin Research, and handset memory pricing is estimated to have more than doubled year-over-year.longbridge

Premium Focus, Standard Model Delayed

The September event was notable for what it omitted: Apple did not unveil a standard iPhone 18 base model, marking its first split launch cycle in seven years. Multiple reports indicate the standard iPhone 18, along with the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2, has been pushed to spring 2027. The delay reflects both constrained capacity for Apple's new 2nm chip and a deliberate focus on the premium tier during the foldable's debut.cnbc+3

Apple's stock fell roughly 2% during the presentation before recovering later Wednesday.businessinsider