Apple announced the iPhone 17 price increase on September 9, 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro. Every iPhone still in the lineup went up $100, and the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max were discontinued outright. If you were comparing a new iPhone against a used one, the gap just moved in favor of used, and this guide shows exactly where.
Quick Answer
The iPhone 17 now starts at $899, up from $799, and the iPhone 16, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17e each rose $100 as well. Apple blamed the cost of memory and storage chips. Because used prices are measured against what new costs, a higher new price widens the savings on a used iPhone rather than shrinking it. Check current used iPhone prices on Swappa.
What Apple Announced on September 9
Apple’s September event introduced the iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199, the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299, and a foldable, the iPhone Duo, starting at $1,999. For a full breakdown of the new models and whether they are worth buying, see iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo: What’s New and Is It Worth It?.
The quieter news landed the same day. Rather than holding last year’s models at last year’s prices, which is Apple’s usual pattern, Apple raised the starting price of every carryover iPhone by $100. It also removed the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max from the store entirely instead of demoting them to a lower price tier.
That combination is unusual. In a normal year, the previous generation gets cheaper and becomes the value pick in Apple’s own lineup. This year the value pick moved off Apple’s shelves and onto the secondary market.
The New iPhone Price Floor, Model by Model
| Model | Old Starting Price | New Starting Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17e | $599 | $699 | Up $100 |
| iPhone 16 | $699 | $799 | Up $100 |
| iPhone 17 | $799 | $899 | Up $100 |
| iPhone Air | $999 | $1,099 | Up $100 |
| iPhone 17 Pro | $1,099 | Discontinued | Used market only |
| iPhone 17 Pro Max | $1,199 | Discontinued | Used market only |
The cheapest new iPhone Apple sells is now $699. A year ago it was $599, and the entry price has not been this high in the modern lineup.
Used prices are set by supply and demand, condition, storage, and carrier status, so they move independently of Apple’s list price (MSRP) and change week to week. Always check live sale prices before you buy or list.
Why Apple Raised Prices
The stated cause is component cost. Memory and storage chips have been bid up hard through 2026 by AI data center demand, and Apple has said it can no longer absorb the difference. Tim Cook described the increases as “unavoidable” and likened the shortage to a hundred-year flood.
This is the same squeeze that already pushed Mac and iPad prices up earlier in the year, covered in Apple Hiked Mac Prices. Buy a Used Mac Instead., and it has hit Android flagships too.
Two things follow from a cost-driven increase rather than a feature-driven one. It is unlikely to reverse quickly, because the underlying chip contracts run for quarters, not weeks. And it applies to the whole industry, so there is no cheaper new phone to switch to.
Worth knowing: A used device already contains its memory. Chip prices rising does not raise the cost of a phone that was manufactured two years ago.
What a $100 Increase Does to Used iPhone Values
Used pricing is anchored to new pricing. A shopper deciding between a used iPhone 16 and a new one is really deciding whether the discount justifies the compromise, and the size of that discount depends entirely on what new costs.
When new prices climb and used inventory does not, three effects show up:
- The savings on a used iPhone get bigger in dollar terms. The same used listing now sits further below the new price it competes with.
- Demand shifts toward used. Buyers priced out of a new iPhone do not leave the market, they move down a tier or move to the secondary market.
- Used values tend to hold up better. More demand chasing the same supply supports asking prices, which is good news if you are the one selling.
The scale of that last effect is what nobody can promise in advance. Used prices respond to how many people list at once, and a new launch always brings a wave of upgrade sellers. Broadly, used electronics run 30% to 60% below new depending on category and model, and phones sit toward the higher end of that range. For the mechanics of how devices lose value over time, see Tech Depreciation: How Fast Electronics Lose Value. For the broader picture of what sets a used price in the first place, start with Used Tech Resale Value: The Complete Pricing Guide.
The iPhone 17 Pro Is Now a Used-Only Buy
The most interesting consequence of the announcement is what happened to the iPhone 17 Pro. It launched at $1,099 and its replacement starts at $1,199. Apple did not keep it around at a discount. It stopped selling it.
For a buyer, that makes the 17 Pro the top of the used market rather than the bottom of the new one. It still gets iOS updates, it still has the Pro camera system and display, and the only way to get one now is used or from remaining third-party stock. Against the 18 Pro it gives up the A20 Pro chip, some battery life, and the variable aperture main camera, which is the only genuinely new camera hardware this year: iPhone 18 Pro Variable Aperture: What It Means for Used Buyers covers what it does and how to test it on a used unit.
For a seller, it means supply is fixed. Every 17 Pro that will ever exist has been built. That is a different situation from a model Apple is still producing, where new units keep arriving to compete with yours.
Two cautions before you treat that as a guaranteed price floor. A discontinued model still depreciates, because the 18 Pro is the newer thing buyers want. And the wave of upgrade sellers arriving over the next few weeks is the single biggest short-term influence on what a 17 Pro fetches. Best Time to Sell Your Phone (Before Value Drops) covers how to read that timing.
What to Do if You Are Buying a Used iPhone
The price increase changes the math, not the checklist. The best value is usually one or two generations back, where depreciation has done its work but the phone still holds full iOS support.
- Compare against the new price, not last year’s. An iPhone 17 you were pricing against $799 is now competing with $899.
- Look at the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 tiers first. These are where the discount is deepest relative to a new phone that costs $799 or more. Used iPhone Buyer’s Guide: Every Generation Ranked (2026) ranks the generations by what you actually give up, and iPhone 18 Pro vs. Used iPhone 16 and 17: Which to Buy compares those tiers directly against buying new.
- Buy unlocked when you can. An unlocked iPhone works across carriers and resells to a wider pool later.
- Check the battery figure on the listing. Lower battery health is normal on a used phone and fine if the device works properly, but factor a possible replacement into your price. iPhone Battery Health: What to Check on a Used iPhone explains what the numbers mean.
- Confirm the phone is clean and unlocked from the previous owner. iCloud Activation Lock: How to Avoid It on a Used iPhone and IMEI Check: What It Reveals About a Used Phone cover the two checks that matter most.
Every listing on Swappa is reviewed by staff before it goes live, which screens out cracked glass, water damage, activation locks, unpaid balances, and bad IMEIs. Payments run through PayPal with buyer and seller protection, and support is staffed 24/7/365.
What to Do if You Are Selling an iPhone
A launch week is the moment supply spikes, so how you price and how fast you list both matter more than usual.
- List sooner rather than later. Prices soften as upgrade sellers pile in, so getting your iPhone listed for sale ahead of that wave matters more than usual.
- Price against live comparables. Look at what your exact model, storage, and condition actually sold for on Swappa prices, not what someone is asking.
- Know your net. Swappa’s seller fee is 3% of your ask price, with a separate 3% buyer fee already built into the listing price. Listing is free, and you pay payment processing on top (PayPal is 3.49% plus $0.49). Full detail is on the Swappa fees page.
- Compare against trade-in before you commit. Apple’s trade-in credit is fast but usually lower than a private sale. Apple Trade-In vs. Selling Your iPhone or Mac and Trade In or Sell Your Phone: Which Gets You More Money? run the numbers both ways.
- Disclose battery health if Apple’s message is showing. If health is below 80% and the battery service message appears in Settings, that has to be on the listing.
If your iPhone has cracked glass, water damage, or an unpaid balance, it will not pass Swappa’s listing criteria. In that case the practical move is to buy a replacement used iPhone and handle the broken one through a repair shop or recycling program.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did the iPhone 17 price increase?
The iPhone 17 went up $100, from a $799 starting price to $899, effective September 9, 2026. The iPhone 16 rose from $699 to $799, the iPhone Air from $999 to $1,099, and the iPhone 17e from $599 to $699.
Why did Apple raise iPhone prices in 2026?
Apple attributed the increase to the cost of memory and storage chips, which have been driven up by AI data center demand through 2026. Tim Cook said the increases were unavoidable because Apple could no longer absorb the higher component cost. The same pressure raised Mac, iPad, and Android phone prices earlier in the year.
Can you still buy an iPhone 17 Pro?
Apple discontinued the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max on September 9, 2026, so they are no longer sold through Apple. They still receive iOS updates, and they remain available used and from third-party retailers while stock lasts. Used listings are the main long-term source.
Does a new iPhone price increase make used iPhones more expensive?
Not directly. Used prices are set by supply and demand on the secondary market, not by Apple’s list price. What a higher new price does is raise the benchmark used listings are compared against, which tends to support used values and increase demand for them. Actual prices still move week to week, so check live sale data.
Should I sell my iPhone 17 Pro now that Apple discontinued it?
Discontinuation fixes the supply of iPhone 17 Pro units, which supports its value over time, but the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro also brings a wave of upgrade sellers listing at once. If you plan to sell, selling early in that wave usually beats waiting, because the biggest price drops happen in the first weeks after a new flagship ships.
How much can you save buying a used iPhone instead of a new one?
Used electronics typically run 30% to 60% below the new price depending on the model, condition, storage, and age, with phones toward the higher end of that range. Because new iPhone prices rose $100 across the lineup, the dollar savings on a used iPhone are larger now than they were before September 9. Compare current sale prices for the exact model you want.
The Bottom Line on the iPhone 17 Price Increase
Apple raised the floor on every iPhone it sells and moved the iPhone 17 Pro to the used market permanently. The value case for buying used was already strong, and a $100 increase across the lineup makes it stronger without changing anything about what you should check before you buy.
