Apple has raised prices across parts of its iPhone lineup in several markets, including older models that would normally become cheaper after a new launch.
The change came immediately after the company unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo. Instead of pushing previous generations further down the price ladder, Apple has made a number of them more expensive.
Older iPhones Get More Expensive in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Apple’s online store now lists the 128GB iPhone 16 at VND24.99 million, or about US$965. That is VND2 million higher than its price a day earlier.
The increase is larger for several other devices. The 256GB iPhone 17 is now priced at VND28.99 million, while the iPhone 17e costs VND21.99 million and the 256GB iPhone Air is listed at VND34.99 million. Each of those models increased by VND4 million, while some higher-storage versions recorded even steeper jumps.
The timing is unusual for Apple.
A new iPhone launch has traditionally given buyers another reason to look at the previous generation: older devices remain capable, but their prices fall once the newest models arrive. This year, that familiar pattern has been disrupted.
Most authorised Apple resellers in Vietnam have already followed the new pricing, according to VnExpress. Some stores, however, still have older stock available for several million dong less than Apple’s revised prices.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have been removed from Apple’s current lineup following the debut of their successors.
Price Increases Extend Beyond Vietnam
The adjustment is not confined to one market.
Several iPhone models have reportedly become about US$100 more expensive in the United States. VnExpress also cited reports of substantially steeper increases in India, where pricing on some models has risen by around 20.5%.
Apple’s latest Pro phones are themselves more expensive than the generation they replace.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at US$1,199 in the US, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max begins at US$1,299. A year earlier, Apple launched the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max at US$1,099 and US$1,199 respectively.
That puts a US$100 increase on both entry-level Pro models year over year.
The iPhone 18 Pro range will be available in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB versions. Pre-orders open on September 12, with sales beginning September 18 in more than 65 countries and regions.
Memory Prices Are Becoming a Bigger Problem
Behind the increases is a problem affecting far more than smartphones: the rapidly rising cost of memory.
DRAM and NAND flash are essential components used for memory and storage across phones, computers and data centres. Demand has tightened as technology companies spend heavily on artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Building AI data centres requires vast quantities of computing hardware and advanced memory. That demand has changed the economics of the broader electronics supply chain.
TrendForce estimates that the price of 256GB memory chips has climbed nearly 400% compared with a year earlier, according to the VnExpress report.
For consumer electronics manufacturers, that creates an uncomfortable choice: absorb the higher cost and accept pressure on margins, change hardware configurations, or pass at least part of the increase on to buyers.
Apple had already signalled that absorbing the increases indefinitely was becoming difficult.
Then-CEO Tim Cook said in June that price increases had become “unavoidable” as memory and storage costs climbed. Apple raised prices on some Mac and iPad products shortly afterwards. Cook later described conditions in the memory market as a “100-year flood”, highlighting the scale of the disruption.
Now, those pressures have reached the iPhone lineup more visibly.
iPhone Duo Pushes Apple Further Into Premium Pricing
Apple is also stretching the upper end of its smartphone range.
The newly announced iPhone Duo, the company’s first foldable iPhone, starts at US$1,999. It features a 5.4-inch outer screen and a 7.6-inch folding inner display, while Apple’s A20 Pro chip powers the device.
Storage options run from 256GB to 2TB.
Apple plans to open iPhone Duo pre-orders on October 16, followed by retail availability on October 23. The phone will launch in more than 70 countries and regions in its first wave.
The company is therefore moving prices upward at more than one level. Its newest flagship phones cost more, its first foldable enters the market at nearly US$2,000, and several older models are no longer providing the post-launch discounts consumers may have expected.
What the Changes Mean for iPhone Buyers
For buyers, the immediate effect is straightforward: waiting for the next iPhone launch may no longer automatically produce a cheaper deal on last year’s model.
There could still be opportunities outside Apple’s own stores. Retailers holding inventory purchased before the latest price changes may continue offering older iPhones at lower prices until those stocks run out.
Longer term, the bigger question is whether these increases are temporary or the beginning of a new pricing environment.
VnExpress reported that the standard iPhone 18 is expected in spring 2027, with TrendForce forecasting a price around 10% to 20% higher than the iPhone 17. If memory costs remain elevated, further increases across smartphones and other electronics could become harder for manufacturers to avoid.
Apple’s latest move is therefore about more than a routine adjustment after an iPhone launch. Rising AI infrastructure spending is creating competition for components deep inside the technology supply chain, and consumers are beginning to see the consequences at checkout.
For anyone hoping the arrival of a new iPhone would make the previous one noticeably cheaper, 2026 is proving to be a very different upgrade cycle.
