Apple Might Use A Familiar Tactic To Disguise The iPhone 17 Pro Price Hike
When Apple released the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023, it changed its strategy in order to sell the Pro Max model at a higher price. As of that phone launch, the company scrapped the 128GB option on the larger model, meaning the device would start at $1,199 with 256GB of storage.
Therefore, consumers who wanted to buy the biggest model would have to spend an extra $100, but in a way, the company wasn't technically changing the prices at all, as the 256GB version of the Pro Max still cost as much as it did the year prior.
Alongside this "price increase," Apple had made recording in Apple ProRes exclusive to models with at least 256GB of storage, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max was the only phone with 5x optical zoom. Now, with an expected price increase for the iPhone 17 series in sight, it seems Apple will follow the same strategy with the smaller iPhone 17 Pro.
Leaker suggests 128GB iPhone Pro models are going away
Weibo leaker Instant Digital (via MacRumors) seems to be echoing the latest report by Jeff Pu. They expect Apple to increase the price of the iPhone 17 Pro by $50 — from $999 to $1,049. However, to avoid backlash from customers, the company is doubling the minimum storage to 256GB. As such, this price hike would also be something of a price drop, as users will be spending less for more storage. After all, the 256GB iPhone 16 Pro retails for $1,099. Whether or not this tactic wins over customers or simply confuses them remains to be seen.
If these reports are accurate, Apple is finally getting rid of the 128GB model for the Pro models. Now we have to wait and see if similar price hikes are coming to the base iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Air, which is reportedly replacing the Plus model.
This new iPhone 17 Air is expected to be more expensive than the base model, but it will lack a second main camera and Qualcomm's more advanced 5G chip. Only time will tell if Apple customers actually want an ultra-thin iPhone, or if this device is destined to fail like the iPhone mini and Plus iterations before it.