Apple Raises Older iPhone Prices After New Launch

Apple's annual fall iPhone event, held on September 9, 2026 under the name Surprise and Shine, introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, the company's first foldable iPhone in the form of the iPhone Duo, the Apple Watch Series 12, the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. But the most unexpected development came after the keynote ended: Apple raised prices on every previous-generation iPhone still on sale in the United States, adding $100 to each model, and discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max entirely.

The increases reversed the usual post-launch pattern, in which older models become cheaper once new ones arrive. The iPhone 16, which had been discounted to $699, returned to its 2024 launch price of $799. The iPhone 17e rose from $599 to $699, the standard iPhone 17 now starts at $899, and the iPhone Air climbed to $1,099. According to reporting on the Indian market, the increases there were larger, with some models rising by roughly 20 percent. The iPhone 17's 256GB variant moved to Rs 99,900 from a launch price of Rs 82,900, the iPhone 17e went to Rs 79,900 from Rs 64,900, the iPhone 16 rose to Rs 79,900 from Rs 69,900, and the iPhone Air reached Rs 1,49,900...