The cheapest new iPhone cost $499 in June 2007. In October 2026 it costs $699. That sounds like a modest rise for nineteen years, and it hides most of the story: the entry price was artificially low for eight years because carriers subsidised it, the top of the range has more than tripled, and 2026 brought the first across-the-board price rise on models already on sale.
Launch prices, 2007 to 2026
US prices are Apple's announced starting prices, before sales tax, for the base storage of the cheapest and the most expensive model launched that year.
cheapest model at launch most expensive model of the same year. US list prices before sales tax; 2008-2015 entry prices were tied to a two-year carrier contract.
The four moments that changed the price
2007: $499, then $399 two months later
The original iPhone went on sale on June 29, 2007 at $499 for 4 GB and $599 for 8 GB, both tied to a two-year AT&T contract. On September 5 Apple dropped the 4 GB model and cut the 8 GB one to $399, a $200 cut that angered early buyers enough for Steve Jobs to offer them a $100 store credit. Apple announced its millionth iPhone sale on September 10, 74 days after launch. The original iPhone page has the full story.
2008 to 2015: the $199 illusion
From the iPhone 3G onwards, the US price everyone remembers, $199, was the price on a two-year contract. The carrier recovered the rest through the monthly bill. When contracts faded out in the US around 2015, the real price became visible: about $649 for an iPhone 6s. Europe never fully followed that model, which is why French and British launch prices from this period look so much higher.
2017: the $999 iPhone X
The iPhone X added a second price tier above the regular model rather than replacing it. The iPhone 8 started at $699, the X at $999. Since then every year has had a "Pro" or "Max" model near or above $1,000, and the top price has crept up: $1,099 for the XS Max in 2018, $1,199 for the 15 Pro Max in 2023.
2026: price rises on old models, and a $1,999 iPhone
On September 9, 2026, alongside the 18 Pro, Apple raised the price of every older iPhone it still sells by $100: the 16 went to $799, the 17e to $699, the 17 to $899 and the Air to $1,099. In France and Germany the rise was €150 on the 17, 17e and 16. A month later came the iPhone Duo, the first foldable, at $1,999. For the first time, an iPhone generation launched with a starting price close to the cost of a good laptop.
UK and French launch prices
Contract-era prices in Europe were set by carriers (O2 in the UK, Orange in France) and are not comparable with the later Apple Store prices. From 2016, all prices below are Apple's own, VAT included.
| Year | Model | US | UK | France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | iPhone 8 GB | $599 on contract ($399 from Sept.) | £269 on an O2 contract | €399 with Orange, €749 unlocked |
| 2016 | iPhone SE | $399 | £359 | €489 |
| 2016 | iPhone 7 | $649 | £599 | €769 |
| 2017 | iPhone 8 | $699 | £699 | €809 |
| 2017 | iPhone X | $999 | £999 | €1,159 |
| 2018 | iPhone XR | $749 | £749 | €859 |
| 2019 | iPhone 11 | $699 | £729 | €809 |
| 2020 | iPhone 12 | $799 | £799 | €909 |
| 2021 | iPhone 13 | $799 | £779 | €909 |
| 2022 | iPhone 14 | $799 | £849 | €1,019 |
| 2023 | iPhone 15 | $799 | £799 | €969 |
| 2025 | iPhone 17 | $799 | £799 | €969 |
| 2026 | iPhone 17e | $599 | £599 | €719 |
| 2026 | iPhone 18 Pro Max | $1,299 | £1,299 | €1,629 |
| 2026 | iPhone Duo | $1,999 | £1,999 | €2,339 |
Two patterns stand out. The UK price in pounds is usually the US price in dollars, digit for digit, since 2023, which means British buyers pay about 32% more once pounds are converted to dollars: part of that is the 20% VAT included in the British price, while US prices are quoted before sales tax. France pays more again: the same iPhone 17 that launched at $799 cost €969. The page on European iPhone prices explains where the gap comes from, and readers who want the French side in detail can look up how much an iPhone costs in France, retailer by retailer.
Is the iPhone more expensive than it used to be?
In nominal dollars, the entry price has gone from $499 (on contract) to $699, and the top price from $599 to $3,199 for a 2 TB iPhone Duo. But storage has gone from 4 GB to 256 GB on the cheapest model, and the 2007 price did not include the two-year contract you were forced to sign. Measured without the contract, the new flagship of 2015, the iPhone 6s, cost $649 unlocked; the base iPhone 17 costs $899 today, and the cheapest model $699. The real inflation is at the top: in 2016 the most expensive iPhone 7 Plus started at $769; in 2026 nine configurations cost more than $1,500.
Quick answers
How much did the first iPhone cost?
$499 for 4 GB and $599 for 8 GB in the US, on June 29, 2007, both with a two-year AT&T contract. The 8 GB model fell to $399 on September 5, 2007.
What is the most expensive iPhone ever?
The iPhone Duo with 2 TB of storage, at $3,199 in the US (£3,199 in the UK, €3,839 in France), on sale from October 23, 2026.
Did iPhone prices go up in 2026?
Yes. On September 9, 2026 Apple added $100 to every older model still on sale (iPhone 16, 17e, 17 and Air) in the US, £100 on the 17, 17e and Air in the UK, and €150 on the 16, 17e and 17 in France and Germany.
