Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?
For the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro , ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra . The lower-cost ‌iPhone 18‌ won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube…
Apple has announced it will not release an entry-level iPhone in the fall. Instead, the company will launch the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and foldable Ultra models in September. The iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and Pro Max are expected to be $100 to $300 more expensive than their predecessors, and the iPhone 18 could also be pricier. This has left many wondering whether to buy an iPhone 17 now or wait for the iPhone 18.
Pricing on the iPhone 17 starts at $799, and trade-in prices for older iPhones are expected to drop with each new launch. However, some rumors suggest Apple might be cutting costs, potentially resulting in a lower-quality iPhone 18. Quality might also be sacrificed with a cheaper screen and fewer GPU cores in the A20 chip.
The iPhone 18 is expected to have a larger A20 chip built on Apple's 2nm process, potentially offering CPU speed and efficiency improvements. RAM will likely increase to either 9GB or 12GB, with 12GB needed for some iOS 27 features. The front camera may also be upgraded to 24 megapixels, while a smaller Dynamic Island is rumored for the iPhone 18.
Despite these potential improvements, the iPhone 17 is still a solid choice for most people. It offers a good balance of premium features, performance, and price, with only a few features exclusive to the iPhone 17 Pro models. For those coming from older iPhones like the iPhone 13, 14, or 15, the iPhone 17 represents a significant upgrade. If you are not concerned about the rumored features of the iPhone 18, there is little reason to wait.
Written by urgent.news from MacRumors's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.