The iPhone 17 is just a year away from launch, but rumors are already flying. And the latest one claims that Apple may raise iPhone prices for the first time in eight years with the iPhone 17 series.

Jukanlosreve on X cites a recent talk by Jong Wook Lee, a senior researcher at the Samsung Securities Research Center, who claims that we should prepare for a price increase for the new iPhone 17 models. Interestingly, he said that the iPhone 17 may be priced higher because the iPhone 16 series was not priced higher.

Lee argues that the iPhone 16 price could have been increased even though the iPhone 16 was the same as the iPhone 15 series before it. Thus, it is an unfortunate fate that the iPhone 17 will introduce a new, higher pricing structure.

Lee does not tell us how much more expensive the iPhone 17 will be compared to the current iPhone. But if we had to make an educated guess, we would assume at least a $100 price increase for all models. That way, Apple could enjoy increased revenues without having to charge much higher prices than rival phones from Samsung, Google, and others.

The iPhone has remained at the same price since the iPhone X debuted in 2017, except in years when new models like the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 14 Plus were introduced, or in the case of the price/basic storage increase realized with the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. It has remained the same. Apple has managed to keep things stable for such a long time, and while users will not welcome the price increase with open arms, it seems pretty good to see a change coming after eight years of models with the same price.

Further disrupting the current state of the iPhone, the iPhone 17 series may be getting a new model, the iPhone 17 Slim/Air, according to rumors. This model is said to be priced from $900-$1000, the same as the Plus, to $1,299 or more, which could make it more expensive than the Pro Max model.

Pricing for the iPhone 17 series will become clearer when there are rumors of a typical Apple schedule and an approaching production start, probably in September 2025. Other rumors that could be confirmed on the release date include a new camera block design, Apple's first in-house Bluetooth and WiFi chips, more efficient battery technology, and camera upgrades for the Pro Max models.