It’s been a while since we’ve heard about Apple hiking iPhone prices. With Trump’s recent tariffs, we’re almost sure Cupertino would make the phones more expensive, even though it’s trying to avoid crossing the $999 price point for the Pro models.
However, it seems Apple plans to adjust all iPhone 17 prices and doesn’t want to blame the US tariffs. According to a Wall Street Journal report, people familiar with the matter say Cupertino will do a price hike for iPhone 17 models.
“The company is determined to avoid any scenario in which it appears to attribute price increases to U.S. tariffs on goods from China, where most Apple devices are assembled,” the publication writes.
That said, while Trump had exempted smartphones and other electronic products from a temporary fall to 10% from 125% under Monday’s trade deal, the company expects the new technologies and hardware changes to justify the price increase.
So far, the main changes we expect are related to the iPhone 17 Air‘s ultra-thin design, Apple’s huge upgrade in the camera modules, proprietary chips, and a new design for the Pro models.
To justify the iPhone 17 price hike, Cupertino could be planning to expand the basic storage from iPhones from 128GB to 256GB, as it already does with the iPhone Pro Max versions.
The WSJ report also mentions that Apple cannot move away from its manufacturing process in China, as the Asian country handles the bulk of iPhone Pro production. While India can make iPhone Pro models, the country’s infrastructure “isn’t yet sufficient to support mass production at the scale China can currently deliver.”
If you’re waiting to buy an iPhone later this year, be aware that the iPhone 17 might get a price hike. In contrast, this could explain why the iPhone 16e has a price point similar to current models, while the previous iPhone SE felt cheaper.
Below, you can check the latest iPhone 17 rumors.
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