Will the iPhone 17 Pro Really Break Apple's 8-Year Pricing Streak?

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The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro might be more expensive than the iPhone 16 Pro, according to some leakers and analysts. Will it, though?

iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2
If that sounds like a familiar rumor to you, that is because it is:

A previously-accurate leaker on the Chinese platform Weibo claimed the smaller iPhone 17 Pro model with a 6.3-inch display will start at $1,049 in the U.S. with 256GB of storage, whereas the iPhone 16 Pro starts at $999 with 128GB of storage.

Apple has offered at least one Pro model or equivalent tier of the iPhone at a starting price of $999 in the U.S. since the iPhone X was released in 2017, so the iPhone 17 Pro would break an eight-year streak held by the company.

The starting prices of each model in the U.S.:

  • iPhone X: $999
  • iPhone XS: $999
  • iPhone 11 Pro: $999
  • iPhone 12 Pro: $999
  • iPhone 13 Pro: $999
  • iPhone 14 Pro: $999
  • iPhone 15 Pro: $999
  • iPhone 16 Pro: $999
  • iPhone 17 Pro: $1,049?

If the iPhone 17 Pro lacks a 128GB storage tier, some might argue that this is not a price increase anyway. In fact, $1,049 would be a price decrease for the 256GB configuration. On the other hand, customers who do not want to pay more than $999 for the Pro model would lose that option. This was a hotly-debated topic when Apple dropped the 128GB tier for the Pro Max model with the iPhone 15 Pro Max a few years ago.

In any case, Apple has proven the price increase rumors wrong year after year, so it deserves the benefit of the doubt. But, nothing lasts forever. If the $999 streak finally does come to an end, you can probably blame it on a combination of tariffs and higher inflation in recent years, although Apple is unlikely to mention that.

At this point, though, it is a see-it-to-believe-it situation.

We'll find out next month.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17 Pro
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

cocky jeremy Avatar
cocky jeremy
7 weeks ago
I'll take $50 every 8-10 years. Not too bad at all, really.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
jz0309
7 weeks ago

There is a world outside the United States you know macrumors. In Belgium and other European countries the iPhone X-XS-11Pro-12Pro-13pro al sold for the same 1159€ launch price, the 14 Pro launched for over 1300€ (partly due to inflation in 2022, price dropped later in the cycle), the 15 Pro and 16 Pro both started from 1229€. So what 8 year streak?
And Apple is a US company and prices outside the US are always calculated with currency exchange rate fluctuations, European companies that export worldwide do the same thing, as do companies in other countries.
So your argument doesn’t really mean anything.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ItsGavinC Avatar
ItsGavinC
7 weeks ago
Yep, it's a $50 price decrease (although the consumer is left without a choice for a lower amount of storage than the base 256GB). But if they can pull it off and really offer it for only $50 more for 256GB then it really is a miracle.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeerDrinkerDan Avatar
BeerDrinkerDan
7 weeks ago

There is a world outside the United States you know macrumors. In Belgium and other European countries the iPhone X-XS-11Pro-12Pro-13pro al sold for the same 1159€ launch price, the 14 Pro launched for over 1300€ (partly due to inflation in 2022, price dropped later in the cycle), the 15 Pro and 16 Pro both started from 1229€. So what 8 year streak?
This again? Read the replies in the other thread where you posted this that give great reasons why sticking to $ in these articles makes sense.

-bdd
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
narenh Avatar
narenh
7 weeks ago
Given the credulity Macrumors demonstrates every year with this rumor, it makes more sense to believe that Apple “leaks” the $100 price increase just to set expectations so people are pleasantly surprised when the price doesn’t increase
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechRunner Avatar
TechRunner
7 weeks ago
Apple understands the marketing psychology at play here. As strange as it sounds, people will plop down $999 without hesitation, while stopping to consider whether they should pay $1049. I could be wrong, but I think Apple stays with $999 for this round.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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