In June 2007 the first iPhone cost $499, and only with a two-year AT&T contract. In October 2026 the cheapest new iPhone Apple sells is the 17e at $699, and the most expensive configuration of the new folding iPhone Duo is $3,199. Between those two numbers sits almost everything this site is about.
The short answer, October 2026
If you just want to know what to buy: the iPhone 17 at $899 is the right phone for most people. It has the 120 Hz screen, the 48 MP ultra wide camera and longer battery life than the 17e, the Air or the 16. The 17e at $699 is the honest budget choice. The 18 Pro only earns its $1,199 if you use the 4x telephoto or shoot serious video. Everything else is a matter of taste: the Air for weight, the Duo for a screen that unfolds.
- iPhone 17eThe cheapest new iPhone, for calls, messages and photosfrom $699
- iPhone 16Nobody at this price: the 17e costs less and has more storagefrom $799
- iPhone 17Most people: the full screen and camera set for the least moneyfrom $899
- iPhone AirPeople who want the lightest, thinnest big-screen iPhonefrom $1,099
- iPhone 18 ProSerious photo and video work, and the biggest battery (Pro Max)from $1,199
- iPhone DuoEarly adopters who want a small phone that opens into a tabletfrom $1,999
Two things changed this autumn and they matter for your budget. First, on September 9, 2026, Apple raised the price of every older model it still sells by $100 in the US (and by €150 in France and Germany): the 17 went from $799 to $899, the 17e from $599 to $699. Second, the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max were withdrawn, replaced by the 18 Pro, and the first foldable, the iPhone Duo, goes on sale on October 23.
Nineteen years of launch prices
The line below is the site's signature: the cheapest and the most expensive iPhone of each year, at the US price Apple announced. The early years look cheap because they were sold on contract, with the carrier paying the rest. The real break comes in 2017, when the iPhone X opened the $999 tier, and in 2026, when the Duo opened a $1,999 one.
cheapest model at launch most expensive model of the same year. US list prices before sales tax; 2008-2015 entry prices were tied to a two-year carrier contract.
The full story, with UK and French prices for each generation, is on the price history page.
Where to start
- Buying now? Read which iPhone to buy in 2026, then the head-to-heads: 17 vs 17e, 17 vs Air, 16 vs 17.
- Buying in Europe? The same iPhone 17 costs €67 more in Finland than in Luxembourg. See where the iPhone is cheapest and why Europe pays more than the US.
- Keeping your phone longer? Learn what battery health really tells you, and when a refurbished iPhone beats a new one.
- Curious about 2007? The original iPhone and what it got right.
How this site works
Prices on these pages are read from Apple's online stores on the date shown at the top of each page, in each country. Specs come from Apple's own specification pages. Where we quote anybody else, such as resale studies, we name them. We do not sell phones, take affiliate commissions or run ads, and the site sets no cookies. More on the about page.
