Apple has given the strongest indication yet that its yet-to-be-announced iPhone 18 range will see a sizable price increase compared to last year’s iPhone 17 lineup. It comes as outgoing CEO Tim Cook labels the current economic conditions facing tech companies as “unsustainable”.
Unless you’ve been blissfully off the grid for much of 2026, you’d know how expensive technology is getting. Memory and component shortages, driven by AI infrastructure demand, have placed significant pressure on the entire consumer technology supply chain.
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, Cook conceded that “unfortunately, price increases are unavoidable”.
“We’re doing our best to mitigate the huge increases that are being passed to us, and we’ve been trying to shield our customers from the increases, but the situation has become unsustainable,” he said.
Cook didn’t specify exactly which Apple devices would see a price increase, or how much the price increases would be. However, with September typically Apple’s traditional iPhone launch period, he’s likely preparing consumers and investors for the upcoming news.
Earlier in the year, Samsung, Apple’s biggest smartphone competitor, launched the Galaxy S26 range with prices up to $250 more expensive than the previous-generation models in Australia.
Analysis from WSJ estimates a potential US$1,299 price point for the iPhone 18 Pro, a US$200 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro. On a rough currency conversion, that’s $1,849 here in Australia, which doesn’t account for taxes, logistics, and distribution costs that get added to local pricing.
If WSJ‘s estimates prove to be accurate, an iPhone 18 Pro will break the $2,000 barrier in Australia, surpassing the iPhone 17 Pro’s $1,999 starting price. And if Samsung’s pricing strategy is anything to go by, the standard iPhone 18 range will see the biggest price increase.
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