Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 Pro is expected to launch with a starting price USD 50 higher than the iPhone 16 Pro, but the base storage will double to 256GB from last year’s 128GB.

The information comes from Instant Digital, a Chinese source with 1.5 million followers on Weibo, which has repeated the claim three times in recent weeks.

Currently, the iPhone 16 Pro starts at USD 999 for 128GB and USD 1,099 for 256GB. The iPhone 16 Pro Max already starts at 256GB for USD 1,199. Both Pro models support up to 1TB of storage.

Rumors suggest Apple will price the iPhone 17 Pro’s 256GB base model at USD 1,049, effectively replacing the USD 999 128GB version. Instead of a flat USD 50 price hike, customers may see this as a better value  -  more storage for a modest price increase  -  while simplifying the lineup.

In July, brokerage firm Jefferies reported Apple planned a USD 50 price increase across the iPhone 17 lineup due to higher component costs and China-related tariffs. Instant Digital echoed this expectation, while The Wall Street Journal in May also reported that Apple was considering a price increase for the upcoming models without specifying an amount.

Reuters in April 2025 suggested new iPhone prices could reach up to USD 2,300 if tariffs were applied.

Instant Digital has a track record of accurate Apple leaks, including the yellow iPhone 14, frosted glass back on the iPhone 15, spatial video recording on the iPhone 15 Pro, nano-texture display on the iPad Pro M4, and battery specs of the iPhone 16 Pro.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on September 9, with a potential release date of September 19. The lineup will include the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air.

Hai Phong