An analyst with almost no Apple rumor track record is probably right when they claim that three out of the four new iPhone 17 models will cost an extra $50 versus corresponding iPhone 16 models.
Despite Trump’s constant insistence that it’s other countries who pay his “reciprocal” tariffs, it’s US firms that do — and so it’s inevitable that costs will be borne by consumers. Apple has worked to delay price rises, but now an analyst says it has no choice to add $50 to almost every model.
Specifically, Jefferies analyst Edison Lee claims that the price hike will come to the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the expected iPhone 17 Slim. That would mean that both the top of the range and the company’s first major new design will be affected.
$AAPL – IPHONE 18 PRICE HIKE EXPECTED: JEFFERIES
Jefferies analyst Edison Lee maintained a Hold rating and $188.32 price target on Apple. He noted strong iPhone demand in Q2 2025, with U.S. telcos reporting ~22% growth in equipment sales — the highest in six quarters. This
— *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) July 30, 2025
Perhaps most significantly, if this is correct, it means that the iPhone 17 Pro will break the $1,000 barrier for the first time. Apple has kept its base configuration to $999 since the iPhone 11 Pro in 2019.
There is no direct equivalent to the predicted iPhone 17 Slim in the current iPhone 16 range. However, that new model is assumed to be replacing the iPhone 16 Plus, which currently starts at $899.
The one model not predicted to see a price rise is the base iPhone 17. That’s expected to retain the $799 of its current equivalent, the iPhone 16.
Jeffries says that the price rise is specifically to offset the impact of the tariffs, and from unspecified rising component costs.
Back in May 2025, it was reported that Apple was looking to raise prices because of tariffs, but also to find a way to avoid blaming Trump. That’s because Trump’s administration exploded at Amazon over a claim, later denied, that the retailer would display exactly how much the tariffs were adding to the cost of items.
