Good news: Apple almost totally dodged inflation on the new iPhones, AirPods and Watches bad news: the price of all other iPhones just got jacked up

Date:
Wed, 09 Sep 2026 20:31:56 +0000

Description:
'I can't believe it wasn't worse,' I thought then it got worse.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Earlier this year, many Apple products (but not iPhones, AirPods or Watches) were hit with a huge set of price hikes . And then, more recently, Apple unveiled its new Mac mini range, which also comes at a 50% higher starting price than just five months before
.

This left me (and probably a lot of other people) fearing the worst about the prices of the new stuff coming at Apple's September 2026 event . But as we watched new products being announced that were the same price, or actually better value, than their predecessors, I felt like I was watching Neo dodging RAM-ageddon bullets even though the iPhone 18 Pro price rose, it felt reasonable. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

But then, just like Neo, we got clipped and dropped to the ground by the fact that Apple quietly increased the price sof all its older phones following the event. Here's the new pricing for those models: Swipe to scroll horizontally The increased iPhone prices

Model

New starting price

Old starting price

iPhone 17

$899 / 899

$799 / 799

iPhone Air

$1,099 / 1,099

$999 / 999

iPhone 17e

$699 / 699

$599 / 599

iPhone 16

$799 / 799

$699 / 699 Let's run through how well we did in different areas in the US and UK prices (it may differ elsewhere, of course). You may like Apple's price hikes prove that more expensive iPhones are all but inevitable MacBook price rises could be far worse than iPhone 18 Pro, analysts predict Apple price hikes live all the latest on new Mac, iPad and HomePod prices Swipe to
scroll horizontally Apple's launch prices compared

New product

Launch price

Comparison model

Launch price

Apple Watch Series 12

$399 / 369

Apple Watch Series 11

$399 / 369

Apple Watch Ultra Series 4

$799 / 749

Apple Watch Ultra Series 3

$799 / 749

AirPods 5

$129 / 119

AirPods 4

$129 / 119

AirPods 5 with Wireless ChargingCase

$149 / 139

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation

$179 / $169

iPhone 18 Pro

$1,199 / 1,199

iPhone 17 Pro

$1,099 / 1,099

iPhone 18 Pro Max

$1,299 / 1,299

iPhone 17 Pro Max

$1,199 / 1,199

iPhone Duo

$1,999 / 1,999

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra

$2,099 / 1,899 Apple Watch A nice easy win here we got new features across both the new regular model and the new Ultra, and we got them for the same price as the previous model. That's pretty great given the levels of
inflation we're dealing with.

The only potentially offputting thing is Apple's slightly new
always-listening Siri Recap option, now but not the price, mercifully. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. AirPods 5 These were the big win on value, in my opinion. When reporting on the AirPods 5 rumors, we said that we really wanted to see Apple improve what you got for the money specifically , because its entry-level were behind the best budget earbuds from competitors.

Well, that's exactly what we got. The basic AirPods 5 now have active noise cancellation, and along with other improvements this should make them competitive again at the same price. And the mid-range AirPods 5 model get on-ear volume controls and a few other small quality-of-life upgrades, which makes them cheaper than last year's mid-range model. It's a win all around and you can pre-order them today . iPhone 18 Pro This is where things get rockier but both models have a relatively modest $100 price increase in the US, which is under 10%, and in the world of 2026, I'll take that. What to
read next Apple Event 2026 recap foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, and more Time to upgrade? Apple price hikes tipped to be fairly imminent Apple just announced big price hikes across its major products and yes, RAM prices are to blame

Of course, they've also improved compared to the previous model, and from
what Apple's saying the new variable aperture camera system and the much longer battery life provided by the (somehow also super-powerful) A20 Pro
chip might be well worth the extra cash. iPhone Duo Look, do I think $1,999
is an appealing price for a phone? It's not what I'd choose to pay. I wasn't happy about the rumors of it being that high, but it was kind of inevitable. However, the iPhone Duo folding phone needs to be assessed in context and that context is: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra costs more in the US (in the UK, Samsung has the edge).

It only costs $100 more, I'll grant you, but a win is a win and again, given the price rises elsewhere in Apple's range earlier this year, I think it was far from a given that its fancy folder was going to actually undercut the competition. @techradar

Candy - Lane 8 & Quentin Quivera It's not all roses Will we be as lucky
with future releases? Perhaps not. It's notable that these product categories are some of the few that didn't get price rises in the hikes earlier this year.

We're expecting the Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini to get new versions soon,
for example, and these will probably arrive with the same price the current models do which were just jacked up significantly. Same for the rumored new entry-level iPad.

And then there's the small matter of Apple having raised the prices of all
its existing iPhone models. Unlike the iPhone 18 Pro, those increases don't come with any hardware or performance upgrades they're just more expensive.

And I assume this means we're not getting a base iPhone 18 at all, if all these phones are sticking around with higher prices. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/iphone/good-news-apple-almost-totally-dodged- inflation-on-the-new-iphones-airpods-and-watches-bad-news-the-price-of-all-oth er-iphones-just-got-jacked-up


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