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: iPhone 14 Pro price increase rumor iPhone 15 Pro price increase rumor iPhone 16 Pro price increase rumor 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.
