The iPhone 17 series is likely to see a global price rise before the end of the month, with consumers paying up to nearly 1,000 yuan more per unit.

The iPhone 17 series is likely to usher in a new round of global price adjustments soon.

On August 17, Pear Video cited internal supply chain sources saying that Apple plans to complete the price adjustment of the iPhone 17 series in all regions around the world by the end of August 2026, with the maximum price increase for all models not exceeding 1,000 RMB, and the pricing adjustment standard can refer to the previous price hike plan implemented in Japan.

Back on July 18, the Japanese market raised the prices of the iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods series products, marking Apple's first large-scale price adjustment in the region in recent years.

Specifically, the highest storage version of the iPhone 17 Pro Max saw its price rise from 329,800 yen to 354,800 yen, an increase of 25,000 yen (about 1,060 RMB); the starting price of the iPhone 17 rose from 129,800 yen to 142,800 yen, an increase of 13,000 yen (about 551 RMB). The Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3 and AirPods series products also raised their prices simultaneously. The market believes that rising costs, exchange rate fluctuations and supply chain factors have driven the price adjustment.

In the Chinese market, Apple has not yet announced price adjustments for the iPhone 17 series, but it raised the pricing of all Mac and iPad hardware in June, covering the full MacBook lineup, full iPad lineup, Mac desktop devices, Vision Pro and HomePod.

The price increase of Apple's products in this round generally ranges from 15% to 20%. The entry-level MacBook Neo was raised from 4,599 yuan to 5,499 yuan, with a price increase of 900 yuan; the best-selling mainstream MacBook Air saw a 1,500-yuan price hike to 9,999 yuan; the 14-inch MacBook Pro increased by 2,500 yuan, with its price exceeding 15,999 yuan; the high-end version of Mac Studio was raised by 3,500 yuan in one go.

The iPad product line also saw a general price increase at the same time: the basic iPad model rose by 800 yuan to 3,799 yuan, the iPad Air had a 1,200-yuan price increase, and the iPad Pro was directly raised from 8,999 yuan to 10,799 yuan.

The price hike stems from the huge cost pressure brought by the shortage of memory chips. Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the fiscal 2026 Q3 earnings call that as memory chip prices continue to rise, the company is evaluating all possible countermeasures. He described the current memory price environment as a "once-in-a-century flood" and said prices have seen exponential growth. When talking about Apple's decision to raise prices for Mac and iPad products, he said the company made the decision "reluctantly".

Cook revealed at the time that Apple's memory procurement expenditure continued to increase in the March and June fiscal quarters, and costs are expected to keep climbing in the September fiscal quarter, but part of the pressure will be offset by beginning-of-period inventory gains and cost reductions for non-memory components. He emphasized that the current DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) market is mainly controlled by three suppliers, and having more suppliers will help improve supply and have a positive impact on product pricing.

It is worth noting that a week ago, Huanqiu.com cited a report from macrumors saying that Apple may start the price adjustment of the iPhone 17 series models on August 10, with the price hike earlier than the launch timeline of the new flagship iPhone 18 Pro next month. But as of press time, Apple has not officially announced the price increase of the iPhone 17 series.

According to the latest market monitoring report from Counterpoint Research, in the second quarter of 2026, global smartphone revenue bucked the trend and grew by 7%, of which Apple's revenue share reached 49%, hitting the all-time high for the second quarter. The brand's quarterly revenue increased by 22% year on year, mainly driven by a 13% year-on-year increase in shipments and an 8% year-on-year rise in ASP (Average Selling Price).

Speaking of Apple's market performance, Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, said: "Apple's growth mainly comes from the continued strong market demand for the iPhone 17 series, especially the entry-level iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Max, which has further tilted the brand's product portfolio towards the high-end segment."

Tarun Pathak pointed out that unlike most competitors that have raised prices sharply, Apple maintained a relatively stable overall selling price in the second quarter, reflecting its ability to absorb rising BOM costs and maintain strong cost bearing capacity amid the current tight memory supply environment. However, Apple is very likely to raise product prices in the coming quarters.

Well-known tech journalist Mark Gurman also gave a prediction of Apple's upcoming price hikes. In early August, he published an article saying that the iPhone is expected to see a price increase of $100 to $200 (about 675 to 1,350 RMB).

"Apple will definitely raise prices this year, for reasons including the current shortage of memory chips and main device processors, the higher cost of the brand new camera system for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, not to mention the more expensive design adopted by the first foldable iPhone," Gurman said.

As for the foldable iPhone, Gurman advised users to prepare themselves that its starting price will be at least $2,000 (about 13,507 RMB), or even higher.

Gurman previously reported that Apple retail store employees have received notifications that Apple's fall launch event will be held in early September. According to Apple's usual practice over the years, the second Tuesday or Wednesday of September is the traditional window for the launch event. This year, September 7 falls on the US Labor Day, so Wednesday, September 9 has become the most likely date for the event. Apple will most likely launch the iPhone 18 series and its first foldable iPhone at this event.

However, sources show that restricted by mass production yield and component supply, the initial production capacity of Apple's first foldable smartphone is very limited. The new product plans to adopt a phased regional launch strategy, with the first batch of spot products prioritized for the US market.

According to another forecast from Counterpoint Research, as the tight memory supply and rising costs are difficult to ease in the short term, OEMs will continue to raise prices, further optimize their product portfolios and increase the proportion of high-value products. Supply is gradually becoming a key factor restricting the development of the industry, and the smartphone industry may face a more serious shipment decline in the second half of 2026. Therefore, ASP is expected to continue to rise in the coming quarters.

This article is from "Jiemian News", the reporter is Song Jiannan, and it is published with authorization from 36Kr.