Apple’s September event is just weeks away, but the real question isn’t which iPhone 18 model to buy. It’s whether you should buy an iPhone now, before prices climb. A global memory chip shortage means this year’s iPhone 18 Pro price hike could be the steepest Apple has ever pushed onto Pro buyers. And the latest rumors indicate Apple might even jack up the price of the iPhone 17 lineup.
The good news: If you just want a solid, everyday iPhone, you don’t need to wait. The iPhone 17 models are still available at their original prices. Buying now locks in today’s price before everything gets more expensive.
What’s driving the coming iPhone price hikes
The root cause here isn’t Apple — it’s AI. Data centers are buying up so much DRAM and NAND flash memory that smartphone manufacturers are left fighting over what’s left. Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed it in June, telling The Wall Street Journal that price increases were “unavoidable.” But he didn’t say which products would be hit, or when.
Since then, Apple raised prices on Macs, iPads, HomePod, the Apple TV and the Vision Pro. The iPhone was the one holdout, but that’s likely about to change.
Non-Pro buyers have little to worry about — but shouldn’t wait either
If you’re eyeing a standard iPhone 17 or the iPhone Air, the memory crunch situation shouldn’t scare you that much. But that doesn’t mean you should wait to buy one.
Apple or its resellers could still raise prices on the current lineup before the iPhone 18 series arrives, especially with memory costs climbing across the board.
In a Friday post on Weibo, leaker Fixed Focus Digital said “rumors are circulating that the iPhone 17 will increase in price on August 10.”
That’s not confirmed, of course. But the safest move is to buy now while prices are still where they’ve been all year.
There’s no real upside to waiting if you want a base model iPhone. And that wait will likely be longer than usual this year. In a break from tradition, Apple reportedly plans to release the base model iPhone 18 in the spring (with an upgraded iPhone Air and iPhone 18e) rather than this fall alongside the Pro models and the rumored folding iPhone.
The iPhone 17 isn’t getting cheaper the longer this crunch drags on. Prices could rise any day. Buying now also means you skip the launch-week stock shortages that hit popular iPhones every September.
The Pro dilemma is trickier
Things get more complicated for iPhone 18 Pro models. Multiple analysts predict that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will cost significantly more than their predecessors. GF Securities’ Jeff Pu pointed to a possible $250 to $300 increase.
He cites rising DRAM and NAND costs, plus Apple’s 2nm A20 Pro chip. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also reported an expected increase, but he says it could be closer to the $100 to $200 range Apple applied to Macs and iPads in June.
Neither figure is confirmed. Apple hasn’t said a word about iPhone 18 Pro pricing. These are analyst estimates, not official figures.
But if either prediction holds, the math gets ugly real fast. The iPhone 17 Pro starts at $1,099, and the Pro Max starts at $1,199. A $300 price jump would push the Pro Max north of $1,499. That’s a price that lands firmly in MacBook Air territory.
Weighing the iPhone 17 Pro Max against the iPhone 18 Pro Max
If you already own the iPhone 17 Pro Max, or you’re considering buying one, this year’s calculus is unusually simple. Ask yourself if the iPhone 18 Pro is worth several hundred extra dollars over the iPhone 17 Pro Max today.
Rumored upgrades so far include a battery bump and a smaller Dynamic Island. These are incremental upgrades, not a generational leap.
Most people don’t need the latest chip or camera. Buying the iPhone 17 Pro Max now, or potentially at a discount once the iPhone 18 Pro lands, will likely make more financial sense than paying a premium for modest gains.
Bottom line
If you want a non-Pro iPhone, buy now and don’t look back. If you’re set on a Pro model, either buy last year’s model now or brace for sticker shock in September. Don’t be surprised if the smarter move turns out to be buying last year’s Pro instead.
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