Will the iPhone 17's price drop when the iPhone 18 launches? The answer is more complicated than usual this year

Generally, the launch of a new iPhone means a drop in price for the old one, but this isn’t a typical year for iPhones — not only is Apple expected to finally launch its long-rumored foldable phone, but thanks to out-of-control memory prices, it’s costing more for companies to build handsets.

On top of that, we’re actually not expecting to see a base iPhone 18 model this year, with that device reportedly landing in March or April instead. So at Apple’s September 9 launch you might only be able to choose from an iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, or iPhone 18 Ultra.

Typically, it’s only the standard model that gets a price drop — so when the iPhone 18 finally does launch (likely next year), the iPhone 17 may well drop in price. But I’d guess the launch of the Pro series this month probably won’t trigger a price drop, since the iPhone 17 will probably remain the latest standard model for a while longer.

In fact, the rising price of memory could mean Apple won’t drop the price of the iPhone 17 even when the iPhone 18 does finally launch. Instead, it might decide to sell the iPhone 18 at a new, higher price and keep the iPhone 17 at its current one.

But I doubt that. If the iPhone 18 doesn’t land until early 2027, then the iPhone 17 will be well over a year old by that point and definitely due a price drop — though, at that point, Apple might instead choose to discontinue it altogether, especially as the cheaper iPhone 18e might land then too.

Regardless, this could be a rare year where there are no price drops, as my prediction is that, as usual, Apple will discontinue the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max when the iPhone 18 Pro series lands, rather than dropping their prices.

As noted above, the iPhone 17 may get a price reduction when the iPhone 18 lands, but that feels up in the air at the moment, and probably won’t happen this year. If it does happen, Apple typically knocks $100 / £100/ AU$150 off the price, which would take the starting price of the iPhone 17 from $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 to $699 / £699 / AU$1,249. But I’d think you’ll be waiting until next year for that reduction, if it happens at all.

Limited options

So your options after the September 9 launch are likely to be either one of the new models at a (probably) higher price than existing iPhones, or an iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, or iPhone Air at their current prices.

It’s not impossible that Apple will drop some of these prices, or even keep the iPhone 17 Pro series around, but I doubt it.

If you’re desperate for a cheaper phone, though, you might not be totally out of luck, as while I’m not expecting Apple to drop any prices this year, third-party sellers might drop the prices of discontinued models to make way for the new ones.

So in other words, if Apple discontinues the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max — like it usually does when new Pro models land — the likes of Amazon and Best Buy might drop the sticker price on them until they sell out.

Pre-owned handsets are also likely to fall in price, so if you don’t mind buying a used phone, you may be able to find a real bargain.

As such, if you’re in the market for an iPhone upgrade but don’t want any of the upcoming models, I’d still recommend waiting until they’re announced before buying anything, even though there probably won’t be any official price drops this year. Just don’t wait too long after September 9 to buy, or stores might run out of new units.