iPhone 17 Series May See Global Price Hikes Before Month-End, With Increases of Up to Nearly 1,000 Yuan Per Unit

The iPhone 17 series may be poised for a round of global price adjustments.

On August 17, Pear Video cited internal supply chain sources stating that Apple plans to complete price adjustments for the iPhone 17 series across all global regions by the end of August 2026. The maximum price increase for any model will not exceed 1,000 yuan, with the adjustment standards referencing the price hike scheme previously implemented in Japan.

Just on July 18, the Japanese market raised prices for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods product lines, marking Apple's first large-scale price adjustment in the region in recent years.

Specifically, the price of the highest storage version of the iPhone 17 Pro Max rose from 329,800 yen to 354,800 yen, an increase of 25,000 yen (approximately 1,060 yuan); the starting price of the iPhone 17 increased from 129,800 yen to 142,800 yen, a rise of 13,000 yen (approximately 551 yuan). The Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and AirPods product lines also saw simultaneous price increases. The market believes that rising costs, exchange rate fluctuations, and supply chain factors drove the price adjustments.

In the Chinese market, Apple has not yet announced price adjustments for the iPhone 17 series. However, in June, it raised prices for its entire lineup of Mac and iPad hardware, covering the full MacBook series, the entire iPad lineup, Mac desktop devices, Vision Pro, and HomePod.

Price increases for Apple products in this round generally fell within the 15% to 20% range. The entry-level MacBook Neo was raised from 4,599 yuan to 5,499 yuan, an increase of 900 yuan; the high-volume mainstream MacBook Air saw a price hike of 1,500 yuan to 9,999 yuan; the 14-inch MacBook Pro increased by 2,500 yuan, with its price surpassing 15,999 yuan; and the high-end version of the Mac Studio was raised by 3,500 yuan in one go.

The iPad product line also saw widespread price increases. The base model iPad rose by 800 yuan to 3,799 yuan, the iPad Air increased by 1,200 yuan, and the iPad Pro was directly raised from 8,999 yuan to 10,799 yuan.

The price hikes stem from significant cost pressures caused by a shortage of memory chips. During the earnings call for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that as memory chip prices continue to rise, the company is evaluating all response options. He described the current memory price environment as a "once-in-a-century flood," noting that prices have seen exponential increases. Regarding Apple's decision to raise prices for Macs and iPads, he stated that the company made the decision "reluctantly."

Cook revealed at the time that Apple's spending on memory procurement continued to increase in the March and June fiscal quarters, and costs are expected to continue climbing in the September fiscal quarter. However, some of this pressure will be offset by gains from beginning inventory and cost reductions in non-memory components. He emphasized that the dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) market is currently dominated by three suppliers, and having more suppliers would help improve supply and have a positive impact on product pricing.

Notably, a week ago, the Global Times cited a report from macrumors stating that Apple might begin adjusting prices for the iPhone 17 series models on August 10, earlier than the launch date of the next-generation flagship iPhone 18 Pro next month. However, as of press time, Apple has not officially announced price increases for the iPhone 17 series.

According to the latest market monitoring report from Counterpoint Research, global smartphone revenue grew against the trend by 7% in the second quarter of 2026, with Apple's revenue share reaching 49%, setting a historical record for the second quarter. The brand's quarterly revenue increased by 22% year-over-year, mainly driven by a 13% year-over-year increase in shipments and an 8% year-over-year increase in ASP (average selling price).

Discussing Apple's market performance, Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, stated: "Apple's growth mainly comes from the continued strong market demand for the iPhone 17 series, especially the base model iPhone 17 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which has further shifted the brand's product mix towards the high end."

Tarun Pathak pointed out that unlike most competitors who significantly raised prices, Apple maintained relatively stable pricing overall in the second quarter, demonstrating its ability to absorb rising bill of materials (BOM) costs and maintain strong cost resilience in the current environment of tight memory supply. However, Apple is likely to raise product prices in the coming quarters.

Renowned technology journalist Mark Gurman also provided a forecast of impending price hikes by Apple. In early August, he published an article stating that iPhones are expected to increase in price by $100 to $200 (approximately 675 to 1,350 yuan).

"Apple will definitely raise prices this year, due to reasons including the company's current shortage of memory chips and main device processors, as well as the higher costs of the new camera systems for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, not to mention the more expensive design adopted for the first foldable iPhone," Gurman said.

As for the foldable iPhone, Gurman advised users to mentally prepare, as its starting price will be at least $2,000 (approximately 13,507 yuan), or even higher.

Gurman had previously reported that Apple retail store employees had received notice that Apple's fall event would be held in early September. Following Apple's historical convention, the traditional window for the event is the second Tuesday or Wednesday of September. Since September 7 this year falls on US Labor Day, Wednesday, September 9, has become the most likely date. Apple is highly likely to launch the iPhone 18 series and its first foldable iPhone at this event.

However, reports indicate that due to constraints in mass production yield and component supply, the initial production capacity of Apple's first foldable phone will be very limited. The new product plan adopts a phased regional launch strategy, with the first batch of stock prioritized for the US market.

Additionally, Counterpoint Research predicts that as tight memory supply and rising costs are difficult to alleviate in the short term, OEMs will continue to raise prices and further optimize their product mixes to increase the proportion of high-value products. Supply is gradually becoming a key factor restricting industry development, and the smartphone industry may face more severe shipment declines in the second half of 2026. Therefore, ASPs are expected to continue rising in the coming quarters.

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