The Base IPhone 17 Pro Costs More Than Ever
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It probably won’t come as a surprise to many Apple fans that the company unveiled two new iPhone Pros at today’s ” Awe Dropping ” event. Like previous iPhone series, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max offer the best specs and features currently available in an Apple phone, including a new pro camera system. But there’s something new about this year’s Pro series that’s not exactly a bonus. In fact, for many, it’s a bit of a shame: This year’s iPhone Pros will likely cost more.
Since the iPhone X launched in 2017, Apple has priced its premium smartphone at $999. The iPhone XS, iPhone 11 Pro, and so on all started at $1,000. That’s no longer the case. The iPhone 17 Pro now starts at $1,099, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at a whopping $1,199. It looks like the new iPhone Air , Apple’s thinnest iPhone yet, is now $999.
Below is a complete list of Pro prices based on storage capacity:
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iPhone 17 Pro (256GB): $1,099
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iPhone 17 Pro (512GB): $1,299
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iPhone 17 Pro (1TB): $1,499
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iPhone 17 Pro Max (256GB): $1,199
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iPhone 17 Pro Max (512GB): $1,399
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iPhone 17 Pro Max (1TB): $1,599
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iPhone 17 Pro Max: (2TB): $1,999
Let’s not even get into the fact that Apple will sell you a $2,000 iPhone if you want one. $1,100 is a lot for a smartphone, especially when there are plenty of much cheaper options on the market. Apple certainly understands this. During the event, the company specifically unveiled its entire current iPhone lineup, which now starts with the iPhone 16e at $599. If you just want an iPhone that can do everything you’d expect from an iPhone — take photos, send iMessages, and make FaceTime calls — it’s worth a look. However, if you want the Pro version, it’s going to cost you at least twice as much, which is more than you might have expected last year.
Raising prices by limiting choice
Looks are deceiving here, though. It’s not that Apple is raising the prices of the iPhones themselves. If you wanted an iPhone 16 Pro with 256GB of storage yesterday, it would have cost $1,099, too. The same logic applies to the prices of the 512GB or 256GB iPhone 16 Pro Max. These prices, given the storage capacity, are the same for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro lines. There are only two new features here: the iPhone 17 Pro Max now has a 2TB version, and the 128GB version is no longer available.
Herein lies the crux of the matter: This year, Apple is increasing the base storage of its iPhones without changing the price. This is no accident: 128GB of storage isn’t enough for long, especially on the Pro iPhone with its three 48-megapixel cameras. But now that $999 option is gone. This year’s 256GB Pro iPhone may not cost more than last year’s, but overall, the Pro iPhone costs more. $100 more, to be exact.
When I first saw the news that the iPhone 17 Pro was now starting at $1,099, I assumed that the Trump administration’s tariffs were to blame. After all, tariffs had already forced companies to raise prices to offset the increased import duties. Indeed, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Apple decided to make its products more expensive. This pricing decision could still very well be a result of those tariffs, since Apple could have priced the 256GB iPhone 17 Pro at $999 if it wanted. But the price hike could certainly be worse. In addition to keeping the price of storage options the same, the company hasn’t adjusted the prices of any other products, including the AirPods Pro 3 ($249), Apple Watch Series 11 ($399), Apple Watch SE ($249), Apple Watch Ultra 3 ($799), and iPhone 17 ($799).
If you’re constantly buying extra storage for your iPhone, these prices won’t bother you. But for those who stick with Apple’s entry-level Pro models, the iPhone 17 Pro is more expensive than ever.