4 Reasons To Skip The iPhone 18 (And Why You Should Upgrade To iPhone 17 Now)

Apple is expected to unveil part of the iPhone 18 lineup as soon as next September. While some customers wait for new iPhones to upgrade to the previous models, this year seems to be a lot different. After all, rumors so far point to only the Pro and foldable lineups being introduced in the traditional September event, while the iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone 18e aren't expected until early 2027. Even though this could theoretically mean that Apple could slightly lower the prices of the iPhone 17 after the introduction of the new iPhone 18 Pro models, it seems that the company could raise its prices instead. Some reports also point to a worse iPhone 18 product, as Apple is trying to make it cheaper to produce amid the memory crisis, and sharing components with the "e" lineup, rather than having the great standard we've all been used to.

Among the reasons to skip the iPhone 18, and upgrade to the iPhone 17 now is that waiting longer might make you pay more for an iPhone 17, Apple's trade-in values might go down, and the quality of the product might not be the same. Even though it's expected to get a new processor, slightly more RAM, an improved selfie camera once again, and Apple's new C2 5G modem, the iPhone 17 could still be a more enticing upgrade before the new lineup is announced.

A recent report by TrendForce shows that the iPhone 18 Pro could cost 38% more than its predecessor. If that's not bad news enough, the research firm suggests that Apple could even revisit the price of the regular iPhone 17 model once it announces the new Pro models. With that, a phone that currently costs $799 for customers, could become even pricier as a way for the company to keep up revenue despite the rising memory costs. While the release of the iPhone 18 might make the iPhone 17 become slightly cheaper, it's not a sure shot that it would go down to a smaller value than the one Apple offers right now.

In June, the company raised prices for its iPads and Macs, but even to products that theoretically are overdue an upgrade and shouldn't impact Apple's supply chain, like the Apple TV and the HomePods. While the company left iPhones and Apple Watches out of the price increase–at least in the U.S.–there's no guarantee that the company won't charge more for these gadgets once updates have been announced during Apple's September iPhone event.

With that, now could be the perfect moment to get an iPhone 17 in its usual price, right before an increase could make it less desirable, as customers would be paying more for something that for the longest time was cheaper–and without any other perks to justify this new value, besides Apple passing some of its ongoing increasing costs to users.

And if higher prices for new phones aren't disappointing enough, Apple tends to lower trade-in values for older models when a new iPhone is introduced. While it's never a sure shot, this is the recent trend. So, just imagine if Apple doesn't even release the regular iPhone 18 yet, but the prices of the iPhone 17 still go up, all while your current iPhone is worth even less. If you're currently looking to upgrade, now might be the best time to go to a carrier — or even take advantage of Apple's own trade-in values — to secure an iPhone 17.

At the moment, Apple is giving up to $720 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max as a trade-in model, and as little as $40 to the iPhone 8. While maintaining an iPhone 16 Pro Max is a better deal than trading it in, there might be better options, like the iPhone 15, which can get you up to $335, and seems to be a fair trade-in deal. However, as the company will downgrade some of the current models once the newer ones become available, using this tool might not be the best if you have a very old model.

To offset costs and introduce the upcoming iPhone 18 at the same price that Apple might start to offer the iPhone 17 in a few weeks from now, Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via MacRumors) said that Apple is going to downgrade the regular iPhone 18 in a few ways compared to the current iPhone 17 experience.

One of them would be introducing an inferior screen quality, as it would make the iPhone 18 more similar to the iPhone 18e model instead of the Pro phones. That said, even though Apple is still expected to continue offering Always-On Display and ProMotion technologies, the screen will likely be not as bright as on the current iPhone 17, which features up to 3,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness. With that, it's unclear if Apple might not add a smaller Dynamic Island, as it's expected to do with the Pro models.

The leaker also says that Apple could downgrade the GPU of the upcoming A20 chip. Currently, Apple offers the GPU of the A19 Pro with six cores, five for the iPhone 17 A19, and four for the iPhone 17e's A19 chip; with this new model, Fixed Focus Digital believes Apple could cut GPU cores for the iPhone 18 to four, offering as many cores as the upcoming iPhone 18e. In practice, the new iPhone would still have advantages over the iPhone 17, but the older model might handle graphics slightly better.

Last but not least, the reason why you should skip the iPhone 18 is that it's not expected to be a huge upgrade over the iPhone 17 — it's that the current model is still a great device. While the iPhone 17 looks similar to the iPhone 16, the newer model has double the amount of storage, offering at least 256GB for users, and it also has the same display as the Pro version with both Always-On Display and ProMotion technologies. With that, the iPhone 17 features up to 120Hz refresh rate, and you can leave the display with the background always on, like an Apple Watch.

The A19 processor is one of the fastest in the market, and this iPhone can handle almost all Apple Intelligence features, including the ones coming with iOS 27. Since the iPhone 18 won't change design-wise and its internals might offer a few compromises, then customers will be better off with a phone that's been reviewed and approved by many customers, media, and of course BGR.

Besides that, Apple also recently upgraded the iPhone 17 models with an improved selfie camera, better main lenses, and even a bigger battery. If it wasn't for this possible price increase, the recommendation would be waiting for the iPhone 18 to launch to get its predecessor, but now it's possible that its current price might be the cheaper you can get for a while.