The oldest trick in iPhone buying, waiting for the new Pro so you can pick up last year’s Pro cheaply, does not work in 2026. Apple has stopped selling iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the four older iPhones it kept are each listed $100 higher on its store than they were before September 9.
So the $1,099 you had budgeted for an iPhone 17 Pro now buys an iPhone Air, and the Pro camera system you actually wanted starts at $1,199. Here is what is left on the shelf and which of it makes sense.
| Key fact | Where it stands |
|---|---|
| iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max | No longer sold by Apple |
| iPhone 16 Plus | Also removed from the lineup |
| iPhone 17e, 16, 17 and Air | Each listed $100 above the pre-event price |
| Cheapest Pro camera system | iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199 for 256GB |
| Certified Refurbished | Nothing newer than iPhone 16 as of September 10 |
| Trade-in for a 17 Pro Max | $885, the top of Apple’s published range |
What Apple lists now, against what it listed before
| Model | Apple’s price now | Listed before September 9 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 17e | $699 | $599 | Up $100 |
| iPhone 16 | $799 | $699 | Up $100 |
| iPhone 17 | $899 | $799 | Up $100 |
| iPhone Air | $1,099 | $999 | Up $100 |
| iPhone 18 Pro | $1,199 | New model | Replaces the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | $1,299 | New model | Replaces the $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max |
Two footnotes matter. The current figures are Apple’s own store listings, while the earlier ones are a matter of record rather than something Apple announced, because Apple has published no statement about raising prices and has given no reason for it.
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The second is that the headline prices for iPhone 17 and iPhone 16 assume you connect with a carrier at the moment of purchase. Apple names a $30 connectivity discount on those two models only, and unlocked they are listed at $929 and $829. There is no equivalent discount on any iPhone 18 Pro.
The nearest thing to an iPhone 17 Pro
An iPhone 17 Pro buyer was paying $1,099 for three 48MP rear cameras with a 4x telephoto, a 6.3-inch 120Hz display and 33 hours of rated video playback. Only one phone Apple still sells does all of that.
| iPhone 17 Pro (discontinued) | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone Air | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $1,099 at launch | $1,199 | $1,099 |
| Chip | A19 Pro | A20 Pro, Apple’s first 2nm chip | A19 Pro, 5-core GPU |
| Rear cameras | 48MP main, ultra wide and 4x telephoto | Same three, with a variable aperture main | One 48MP main plus a 2x crop |
| Main aperture | Fixed f/1.78 | Variable, f/1.48 to f/4.0 | Fixed f/1.6 |
| Video playback | Up to 33 hours | Up to 36 hours | Up to 27 hours |
For $100 more than the 17 Pro used to cost, the iPhone 18 Pro adds the newer chip, three more hours of video and the variable aperture. For exactly the old money, the Air gives you a thinner phone with one rear camera. Our 18 Pro against 17 Pro comparison covers the rest of the gap.
Where a new iPhone 17 Pro still exists
Not at Apple, but carrier and retailer promotions are still built around last generation. AT&T’s deals page leads with up to $1,100 off an iPhone 17 Pro Max with an eligible trade-in valued at $290 or more and an eligible plan. Best Buy lists up to $1,100 with a qualified AT&T activation and trade-in, or up to $830 with a qualified Verizon myPlan activation.
Read those as what they are. The money arrives as monthly credits over 24 to 36 months, it requires a trade-in and a qualifying plan, and it is only fully collected if you stay put for three years.
Apple Certified Refurbished is the other route, and it is not open yet. Apple publishes savings of up to 15 percent, a new battery and outer shell on refurbished iPhones, a one-year warranty and AppleCare eligibility, but on September 10 the newest refurbished iPhone listed was an iPhone 16 512GB at $909. No iPhone 17 generation model appears, and Apple publishes no schedule for when one will.
If you own a 17 Pro, this is your moment to sell it
The discontinuation cuts the other way for existing owners. Apple’s published trade-in range is $175 to $885 for an iPhone 13 or later, and an iPhone 17 Pro Max in good condition is what sits at that $885 ceiling. The value recorded for an iPhone 17 Pro is $785.
Set against that, every iPhone trade-in value fell on September 9, some by as much as $120, so the ceiling is high only because the phone is new, not because Apple got more generous.
What to buy instead, in one line each
- You wanted the Pro camera: stretch the extra $100 to iPhone 18 Pro at $1,199.
- You wanted a $1,099 phone: iPhone Air is that price now, with one rear camera and 27 hours of video.
- You wanted to spend less: iPhone 17 at $899 with carrier activation, or $929 unlocked.
- You wanted the cheapest current iPhone: iPhone 17e at $699.
- You specifically wanted a 17 Pro: a carrier or retailer holds the last new stock, on bill-credit terms.
What has not been confirmed
Apple has not announced the price increases or the discontinuations, and has published no explanation for either. It publishes no per-model trade-in table, no refurbished restocking schedule, and no US carrier has yet published its own iPhone 18 Pro terms.
iPhone 18 Pro pre-orders open at 5 a.m. PT on Saturday, September 12, with devices in stores on Friday, September 18. The full price breakdown has every tier if you are still deciding.