Apple Ramps Up iPhone 17 Production As Tariff Concerns Loom

U.S. President Donald Trump extended China's tariffs deadline for another 90 days, CNBC reports. Whether or not this is a direct result of TSMC and Apple's latest commitments to invest in U.S. manufacturing, it's great news for Apple, which is gearing up for the iPhone 17 launch in about a month.

GFHK analyst Jeff Pu reports that Apple has been ramping up iPhone 17 production to avoid price changes on its products in case the tariffs take effect. In a note seen by BGR, Pu said that Apple is expected to produce between 86 million and 90 million iPhone 17 units in the second half of this year.

While the company is focusing its U.S. production in India, the analyst says he won't "rule out the possibility for Apple to raise the retail price for iPhone 17 series this time." The latest reports suggest Apple could raise the price of new iPhone models by around $50.

As usual, Jeff Pu shares his expectations regarding the specification of each iPhone 17 model. Following controversial reports, Pu believes the only model that will maintain 8GB of RAM is the base iPhone 17, while all the other models will switch to 12GB of RAM. The analyst also suggests that Apple won't add the A19 Pro chip to the iPhone 17 Air, as the Pro processor will remain exclusive to the Pro models. He also continues to double down on a titanium frame coming to the Air model alongside Apple's C1 5G chip.

The other models will use glass and aluminum finishes and Qualcomm 5G modems. While every new phone is expected to have a 24MP front-facing camera, the main upgrades will only come to the Pro models, with three new 48MP lenses in tow.

The iPhone 17 series is expected to be announced on the week of September 9, which means we are less than a month away from discovering everything Apple has to offer in its latest iPhone generation.