iPhone 17 Could Be Sold at a Lower Price Despite the Release of iPhone 18

The base model of the iPhone 17 series has achieved strong success in the smartphone market, becoming one of the top-selling devices globally in the first quarter of 2026 due to an aggressive price and competitive specifications. This combination has led to speculation that after the launch of the next generation expected in 2027, the device could remain on the market at a lower price.

The idea of a price reduction to around $699 would make the product even more appealing to users, further increasing demand and creating an almost explosive situation in the market. However, this strategy could also generate new complications for the company.

The next generation of the base model is expected to launch at a higher price, around $799, with limited improvements over the previous version, likely focused mainly on the new chip. This would reduce the differentiation space between the two models, keeping the older one very competitive.

Additionally, economic variants will affect the price of the iPhone 18. Alongside this scenario is the presence of the economic variant of the new generation, with a lower starting price. If the previous model is discounted too much, the price distance between the various versions would narrow significantly, posing the risk of overlapping consumer choices.

This phenomenon could lead to internal cannibalization, where sales of the cheaper model of the new line would be weakened by the lingering presence of the discounted previous model. A similar problem could also affect the main version of the new generation if the price difference were too small.

To avoid this situation, a possible price increase for the base model of the new series is also being considered to maintain a clearer separation between the different tiers. In this way, the range would appear clearer and less overlapping, reducing consumer confusion and the risk of internal competition.