Price adjustments reverse standard practice as memory chip costs continue to climb.
Apple raised the prices of older iPhone models on 9 September after unveiling its new iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Devices introduced a year earlier became up to R$ 2,000 more expensive. This decision reverses the company's usual strategy of discounting older generations after introducing new hardware.
The largest increase affected the iPhone Air, an ultra-thin model launched in 2025. The 1 TB edition rose from R$ 13,499 to R$ 15,499 on Apple's Brazilian website. Other storage options for the iPhone Air increased by R$ 500: the 256 GB model rose from R$ 10,499 to R$ 10,999, while the 512 GB version climbed from R$ 11,999 to R$ 12,499. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16, iPhone 17, and iPhone 17e saw price increases ranging between R$ 200 and R$ 300, depending on storage capacity. Apple also stopped selling the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 Plus on its official website, though third-party retailers continue to offer them.
Apple had previously signaled price hikes in June due to higher memory chip expenses. Tim Cook, who served as CEO before stepping into the executive board chair role in early September, told The Wall Street Journal that component increases were becoming unavoidable. John Ternus succeeded Cook as CEO in early September. Cook noted that suppliers were passing on steep costs as memory producers prioritize advanced chips for artificial intelligence data centers, particularly tightening the supply of RAM.
This is a 100-year flood. We certainly need memory supply and pricing to get back to reasonable levels for consumer products. That's the bottom line.
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