Will Apple Bump the Storage on the iPhone 17 Pro This Year?
Credit: Majin Bu
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In what feels like another round of deja vu, we’re once again seeing hints that Apple could bump the base storage on the iPhone 17 Pro this year. Still, there may be more of a reason to believe the reports this time around.
For one thing, the report comes much later in the game than we’ve typically seen. Last year, we began hearing rumors in April that the iPhone 16 Pro would start at 256 GB. The rationale at the time was that Apple had increased the iPhone 15 Pro Max base storage to that level in 2023, so it made sense to bring the smaller iPhone 16 Pro in line.
That seemed reasonable, especially since the iPhone 16 Pro was also growing in size and adopting the 5x telephoto zoom that had been an iPhone 15 Pro Max exclusive. However, it ultimately didn’t happen. Neither did the rumored price increase that would have accompanied it.
Apple’s decision to drop the 128 GB tier from the iPhone 15 Pro Max lineup seemed to be at least partly about increasing the price of entry. Technically, the iPhone 15 Pro Max didn’t get more expensive — the 256 GB version sold for the same price that the 256 GB iPhone 14 Pro Max had sold for the year before — but it still meant that folks who wanted to opt for Apple’s largest flagship had no choice but to pay the higher price for that capacity.
Some believed Apple would do the same with the iPhone 16 Pro, using a 256 GB starting capacity as a way to justify a price bump to $1,099. The catch is that Apple has long considered the $999 price point to be a sweet spot in the lineup, and has consistently held the smaller versions of its higher-end iPhones at that level since the iPhone X introduced it in 2017.
However, things could be different this year, due to the uncertainty being generated by US tariffs. Apple has managed to avoid the worst of these so far, and it looks like its latest round of US investment will help it to continue doing so in the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, some analysts still predict that Apple may bump at least some of its iPhone 17 models by at least $50 to hedge its bets against taking too many losses should things turn sour on the international trade front.
There’s every indication that Apple has been mulling price hikes. The company would be foolish not to. At the same time, it’s trying its hardest to hold the line. Nevertheless, dropping the lowest capacity could be a way of sneaking up prices without really raising them, much like it did with the iPhone 15 Pro Max two years ago.
In a recent Weibo post, the leaker known as Instant Digital (aka Setsuna Digital) seems to concur with the reports of a $50 price hike, but suggests that Apple might do that with a storage bump for the iPhone 17 Pro. That would also bring the smaller model in line with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which is unlikely to reintroduce the 128 GB storage option this year.
On the flip side, Apple has bumped base storage capacities in the past without raising prices, and it’s arguably time for it to do this again. The iPhone X through iPhone 11 Pro all came with only 64 GB at the same $999 price that today’s 128 GB models sell for. These models also skipped a 128 GB version, jumping right to 256 GB for the iPhone X, and 256 GB and 512 GB for the iPhone XS and iPhone 11 Pro models.
Apple moved to 128 GB base storage with the iPhone 12 Pro lineup, filling the gap and leaving the 256 GB and 512 GB versions in place at the same prices. The iPhone 13 Pro added an extra 1 TB model at the top end. The iPhone Pro models have remained at those capacities and price points ever since (despite persistent annual rumors of a 2 TB model).
Still, Apple hasn’t come out of the tariff wars entirely unscathed. During its third-quarter earnings call last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook reported that tariffs had already cost the company $800 billion more in the last quarter, and that it’s expecting those costs to increase to $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, which ends in September, just after the iPhone 17 lineup goes on sale. Those cost predictions suggest that Apple is willing to eat at least some of the tariff expenses without raising prices, but that doesn’t mean it may not edge them up slightly to help offset those costs.
It’s also worth mentioning that Apple already sells a 256 GB iPhone 16 Pro for $1,099, so it would be unusual for Apple to unveil a base 256 GB iPhone 17 Pro for only $1,049. Sure, it could tout that as a price decrease, but if it were to eliminate the lower capacity, it seems more likely to follow the path of the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and simply maintain the current pricing, making the 256 GB iPhone 17 Pro the base model and selling it at the same $1,099 as its equivalent predecessor.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
