Overview
- Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its Sept. 9 event with U.S. starting prices of $1,199 and $1,299 and introduced the foldable iPhone Duo starting at $1,999 with staggered preorder and sale dates.
- The company removed the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max from its lineup and, unusually, increased the official listed prices for most older iPhone models so entry tiers are roughly $100 higher in many markets.
- Price jumps are much larger in some regions with India seeing rises measured in tens of thousands of rupees (for example iPhone 17 256GB from Rs 82,900 to Rs 99,900) and Canada showing model‑ and storage‑dependent increases up to several hundred Canadian dollars.
- Analysts and Apple executives point to sharp DRAM and NAND price inflation driven by AI and large data‑center demand as the primary reason for the reset and for higher storage baselines on new models.
- Apple is responding by prioritizing supply for higher‑margin Pro and foldable units, expanding assembly in India, and promoting financing, trade‑in and upgrade plans to soften the sticker shock for buyers.