Apple increases older iPhone prices by $100 alongside new foldable Duo
Apple added $100 to the price of older iPhones following its September event in Cupertino, departing from its usual discounting cycle as rising AI-driven component costs pressure hardware makers.
Price increases across older models
Apple adjusted prices across its existing smartphone lineup following its annual hardware presentation on 9 September 2026. Rather than discounting previous generations as in past release cycles, the company added 100 dollars to the cost of older handsets remaining in its store. The entry-level iPhone 17e increased from 599 dollars to 699 dollars, while the base iPhone 17 rose from 799 dollars to 899 dollars for the 256GB storage configuration. The iPhone 16 returned to its original 2024 launch price of 799 dollars, up from 699 dollars. The iPhone Air climbed to 1,099 dollars, up from 999 dollars. In international markets, the increases were steeper, with Spanish listings rising by 100 to 150 euros and Indian prices rising by approximately 20.5 percent.
- iPhone 17e
- 699 $
- iPhone 16
- 799 $
- iPhone 17
- 899 $
- iPhone Air
- 1099 $
New hardware and pricing structure
The price adjustments coincided with the debut of Apple's newest premium devices under chief executive John Ternus, who assumed the post on 1 September 2026. Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, a passport-style foldable smartphone starting at 1,999 dollars, with higher-tier storage configurations reaching 3,199 dollars. The updated iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max launched at 1,199 dollars and 1,299 dollars, reflecting a 100-dollar increase over 2025 equivalents. Apple discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max while omitting a standard base-model iPhone 18 from the event, leaving the iPhone 17 as the default option until early 2027. Accessory pricing remained stable, with the Apple Watch 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 holding at 399 dollars and 799 dollars, and the AirPods Pro 3 remaining at 249 dollars.
Component shortages and supply pressures
The pricing shift follows months of rising input expenses across the consumer electronics sector. Surging demand for memory and storage chips from artificial intelligence data centers has tightened DRAM and NAND supplies, according to market research firm TrendForce. Tim Cook, who preceded Ternus as chief executive, addressed these cost pressures in a June 2026 interview with The Wall Street Journal.
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.
Following those remarks, Apple raised Mac and iPad prices by 15% to 25% between late June and early July 2026, lifting hardware such as the MacBook Neo from its initial 599-dollar price point.
- Tim Cook warns that rising component costs make hardware price increases unavoidable
- Apple increases Mac and iPad lineup prices between 15% and 25%
- John Ternus takes over from Tim Cook as Apple chief executive officer
- Apple introduces iPhone Duo and raises older iPhone prices by $100
Broader smartphone industry trends
Rising manufacturing expenses have affected manufacturers across the wider mobile phone market. Google increased the starting price of the Pixel 11 to 899 dollars from the 799-dollar price of the Pixel 10, while Samsung introduced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra at 2,099 dollars, a 100-dollar increase over its predecessor. Mobile chipmaker Qualcomm increased its processor prices in early September 2026, and Sony raised the price of the Xperia 10 VIII by 150 pounds. Nothing chief executive Carl Pei stated earlier in 2026 that memory expenses for the Nothing Phone 4A doubled before release. Handset manufacturers including Xiaomi have also reported compressed profit margins tied to rising component costs.
