It seems the iPhone 17 line will cost more next year, according to a tweet from @Jukanlosreve. The tweet mentions that Jong Wook Lee, a senior researcher at Samsung Securities Research Center, said prices of the iPhone 16 line weren’t supposed to rise this year. When the iPhone 17 series is unveiled and preordered in September, Jong expects prices to increase.
Since the iPhone 17 line is going to be oddly priced anyway, the ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air could be the most expensive phone even though early reports indicate that it is expected to be equipped with less powerful specifications than the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Accordingly, the iPhone 17 Air will feature the A18 application processor (AP) rather than the slightly more advanced A18 Pro AP found on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. There will also be just one rear camera on the new iPhone 17 Air, replacing the use of multiple cameras with computational photography.
The iPhone 17 Air, which will replace the iPhone 17 Plus, is expected to be priced at $1,299. Accordingly, the iPhone 17 Pro Max would cost $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro. As a result, Apple believes that the ultra-thin design of the new iPhone 17 Air will be more appealing to consumers.
The reason behind the hike:
On day one of his second term, President-elect Trump said last month he would impose 10% tariffs on shipments from China by executive order. Apple would have to pay more for shipping iPhone units from China to the U.S. since these tariffs are nothing more than import taxes.
The additional cost could either be eaten by Apple or passed on to consumers. Apple may blame a tariff increase, if indeed one is announced by President Trump after he takes office next month, for any increase in the iPhone 17 line price next year.
