Will the iPhone 17 Pro Really Break Apple's 8-Year Pricing Streak?
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro might be more expensive than the iPhone 16 Pro, according to some leakers and analysts. Will it, though?
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.
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