There are new shiny iPhones, so Apple is making you pay more for older models
Apple has increased the prices of its existing iPhone models by $100 following the launch of the new iPhone 18 and iPhone Duo. The company cites rising costs for memory and storage chips, driven by high demand from AI and cloud infrastructure providers, as the primary reason for this shift in pricing strategy.
Why it matters
This marks a significant departure from Apple's traditional pricing model and highlights how global hardware component shortages are directly impacting consumer electronics costs.
Apple on Wednesday unveiled its new iPhone 18 and its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo . But amid all the attention on Apple’s newest and most expensive devices, there’s another change: Apple is raising the price of its existing iPhone models by $100.
Starting today, customers will notice a price hike for existing models on Apple’s online store , including starting prices for iPhone 16 at $799, iPhone 17e at $699, iPhone 17 at $899, and iPhone Air at $1,099.
The price increases are even steeper in some international markets. In India , for example, prices have reportedly risen by around 20.5%. The company also discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
The strategy is an unusual one for Apple. Traditionally, the arrival of a new generation of iPhones means older models become cheaper.
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