Back in 2017, consumers balked at the idea of a $1,000 iPhone. Now, some shoppers may end up paying double that if they choose Apple’s latest top-of-the-line model.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max, the larger variant of Apple’s Pro phone that launches today along with the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and iPhone Air, costs $2,000 if buyers choose the version with two terabytes (2TB) of storage. Phones with extra storage typically cost more, but this is the first time Apple has released a 2TB option for the iPhone, making it one of the most expensive phones on the market.
The launch comes as Apple faces mounting pressure to boost iPhone sales amid concerns about its AI strategy. Offering a more expensive price tier for the iPhone allows Apple to generate more revenue without selling more units during what has been, until recently, a rocky smartphone market. Some analysts say consumers, tightening their purse strings because of inflation and tariffs, have been cutting back spending on smartphones.
Apple’s new iPhones should modestly raise the product’s average selling price, or the average price iPhones are sold at, said Angelo Zino, senior vice president at investment research firm CFRA. That’s a metric analysts monitor as a sign of how lucrative the iPhone is for Apple.
But Zino largely expects the price boost to be driven by demand for the iPhone Air, which is $100 more expensive than last year’s iPhone 16 Plus. The 2TB storage option is a means for Apple to differentiate its high-end phones from the competition, he says. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google’s Pixel 10 Pro XL top out at 1TB of storage.
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