Some older iPhones are now as much as $500 more expensive

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 10 September 2026

Following today's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo announcement, Apple quietly increased the price of several older models. The 1TB iPhone Air got the biggest price increase, going up $500 to $3,099. Other models, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, and iPhone 16, all went up by between $100 and $150.

Here's a full list of changes:

iPhone 17e 256GB: Was $999, now $1,149
iPhone 17e 512GB: Was $1,399, now $1,549

iPhone 17 256GB: Was $1,399, now $1,549
iPhone 17 512GB: Was $1,799, now $1,849

iPhone Air 256GB: Was $1,799, now $1,899
iPhone Air 512GB: Was $2,199, now $2,299
iPhone Air 1TB: Was $2,599, now $3,099

iPhone 16 128GB: Was $1,249, now $1,349

You might still be able to get these new devices for the old price at retailers like JB Hi-Fi.

While unprecedented, the price increases to older models come during the component crisis, where generative AI-led demand has dramatically upped the price of memory and storage. Apple increased pricing for the majority of its in-market hardware back in June, with now-former CEO Tim Cook describing the situation as unsustainable at the time.

The price increases to older hardware mirror changes to the iPhone 18 Pro line-up. While 256GB and 512GB iPhone 18 Pro models are only $100 more expensive to last year, 1TB models have seen a $500 hike, while the 2TB iPhone 18 Pro Max is $900 more expensive than last year.

Apple did not announce a standard iPhone 18 today. Rumours suggest it will launch early next year alongside the iPhone 18e.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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