True cost
Has the iPhone Price Gone Up Over the Years?
The price right now
$799.00 — base iPhone launch price — unchanged from the iPhone 16 to the iPhone 17
- $699.00 · iPhone 16 today, after its successor arrived
- $799.00 · launch price of both the 16 and the 17
Prices as of July 2026. This tracks the base model only. Storage tiers and Pro models sit above $799, and a flat entry price does not mean a flat average selling price — it means the bottom rung hasn't moved.
Sources: Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) · iPhone 16 launch pricing, September 2024 — $799
What it really costs per year
| Cost item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 16 — launch, September 2024 | $799 | The base 128GB model at $799. 26 hours of median-income work, 110 at the federal minimum wage. iPhone 16 launch pricing, September 2024 — $799 |
| iPhone 17 — launch, September 2025 | $799 | The same figure, one year later. Whatever else changed between the two generations, the entry price did not. Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) |
| iPhone 16 — today | $699 | Down $100 once the 17 landed. This is the only movement in the whole sequence, and it happens to the outgoing model rather than the new one. Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) |
| The pattern | varies | The base launch price holds at $799 and the outgoing model steps down $100 when its successor arrives. Both moves are scheduled, which is why neither is ever announced as a sale. Apple — current iPhone pricing (iPhone 16 128GB $699, iPhone 17 base $799) |
| What a flat price hides | varies | Storage tiers, Pro models and accessories all sit above the base figure, so the average buyer's bill can rise even while the entry price stands still. This page tracks only the rung the $799 sits on. |
| The figure that matters | $799 | The base launch price, unchanged across both generations. 26 hours of median-income work, 110 at the federal minimum wage, and 16 hours at $50 an hour. |
The price in hours of your life
The same figure, converted into working time — this purchase costs you:
| Income level | Hourly | Hours of work / year | Work weeks / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal minimum wage | $7.25 | 110 | ≈ 2.8 |
| Median US full-time income | $30.83 | 26 | ≈ 0.6 |
| Higher incomeexample | $50.00 | 16 | ≈ 0.4 |
Sources: US DOL — federal minimum, unchanged since 2009 · BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, Q1 2026 — median weekly earnings $1,233 ÷ 40h
Prefer to start from your side of the math? Calculate your exact hourly rate first — it's remembered for the session.
The number that doesn't move
People search for iPhone price increases, and across the most recent generations the base model doesn't show one. The iPhone 16 launched at $799 in September 2024. The iPhone 17 launched at $799 in September 2025. Same number, one year apart. What changes is the phone standing behind that number, and the outgoing model, which drops $100 the moment its successor lands — the iPhone 16 is $699 today for exactly that reason. In work hours, $799 is 26 hours at the median US income and 110 at the federal minimum wage. The interesting question is not whether the price went up. It is whether $799 buys more phone than it used to, and whether your own hourly rate has held as steady as Apple's sticker.
For
- The base launch price has held at $799 across the iPhone 16 and 17 — no increase to report between them
- The outgoing model drops $100 on schedule when its successor arrives, so waiting one generation is reliable rather than a gamble on a sale
- A stable entry price makes the upgrade decision a question about the phone, not about catching the right moment
Against
- $799 is 26 hours of median-income work, and 110 hours at the federal minimum wage
- A flat sticker is not a flat cost: storage tiers and Pro models all sit above the $799 base
- The $100 saving only arrives with the next launch, so capturing it costs a year of waiting
Frequently asked questions
Has the iPhone price gone up over the years?
Not between the two most recent generations. The iPhone 16 launched at $799 in September 2024 and the iPhone 17 launched at $799 in September 2025 — the base entry price held steady.
How much did the iPhone 16 cost at launch?
$799 for the 128GB base model in September 2024. It sells for $699 today.
Why is the iPhone 16 cheaper now?
Because the iPhone 17 arrived at $799 and pushed it down a rung. Apple steps the outgoing base model down by $100 at each generation rather than discounting it.
How many hours of work is an iPhone?
At $799, about 26 hours at the median US income of $30.83 an hour and 110 hours at the federal minimum wage. At the $699 the iPhone 16 costs today, 23 and 96 hours.