iPhone 17 prices raised: Why are older models' prices increasing; how will it affect future buyers? Explained

Apple has raised the prices of several existing iPhone models in India following the launch of its new iPhone 18 Pro lineup, breaking from the usual pattern in which older iPhones become cheaper when a new generation arrives. The iPhone 17 now starts at ₹99,900 for the 256GB variant, up from its launch price of ₹82,900, marking a ₹17,000 increase.

The increase is not limited to the iPhone 17. Apple has also raised prices of the iPhone 16, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air in India. The iPhone 17e has become ₹15,000 more expensive, while the iPhone 16 now costs ₹89,900, according to current listings reported after the latest launch. The iPhone Air has seen an even sharper increase, with its price rising by ₹30,000 for the affected configuration.

Why are older iPhones getting more expensive?

The immediate reason appears to be rising component costs, particularly for memory and storage chips, according to reports. The global demand for memory has surged as technology companies and data-centre operators expand their artificial intelligence infrastructure. That has tightened supplies and pushed up costs for components used in smartphones and other consumer electronics.

Former Apple CEO Tim Cook had already warned in June that higher component costs would eventually have to be passed on to consumers. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Cook said, “Unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable.” He added that Apple had been trying to protect customers from the higher costs but that the situation had become unsustainable.

Cook subsequently described the memory-price situation as a “100-year flood”, saying he had not seen anything comparable during more than four decades in the industry. Apple has also indicated that it expects to face higher memory costs, even as it looks for ways to offset some of the pressure through savings elsewhere.

Why did Apple raise the iPhone 17 price now?

The timing is significant. Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on September 9, but did not introduce a standard iPhone 18 model at the event. That means the iPhone 17 remains Apple's standard non-Pro flagship in the current lineup, rather than becoming an immediately older generation model.

How will it affect future buyers?

For consumers, the biggest change is that waiting for a new iPhone launch may no longer automatically mean getting the previous-generation model at a lower official price. Apple's latest move shows that older models can instead become more expensive when component costs rise.

Existing iPhone users Priyanka Ailawadi and Tanmay Verma, whom LiveMint spoke to, are reconsidering their planned iPhone 17 upgrades following Apple’s price hike. Both said they would prefer to wait for festive sales, retailer offers or price cuts before buying.

Ailawadi said, “Currently I have iPhone 16 and was planning for an upgrade to iPhone 17.However, I will wait for the Diwali/festive sales and major retailer promotions. The iPhone 17 is already a year old, so paying the newly increased Apple price isn't particularly attractive and doesn't make sense.”

“I’ve used iPhone 15 for last three years and was genuinely planning to upgrade to the 17. The price increase would definitely make me reconsider the purchase, either wait for a price drop or some offer around festive season’s sale,” Verma stated.