Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup has spent 2026 as the best-selling smartphone family in the world, and as the iPhone 18 launch approaches next month, retailers have started cutting prices on the current generation, a pattern that usually signals a changing of the guard is close.
A Standout Year for the iPhone 17
According to Counterpoint Research, the standard iPhone 17 was the single best-selling smartphone model globally in the first quarter of 2026, holding a 6 percent share of worldwide unit sales, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro taking the next two spots. Counterpoint credited the base model’s strength to upgrades that closed the gap with the Pro versions, including a jump to 256GB of base storage, better cameras and a 120Hz display refresh rate that had previously been reserved for pricier models.
The momentum continued into the second quarter, when Counterpoint reported that Apple grew iPhone shipments by 3 percent year on year, pushing its global smartphone market share to a quarterly record of 20 percent. Apple achieved that in part by holding iPhone prices steady while rivals raised theirs in response to a spike in memory chip costs that has been squeezing the wider industry through 2026.
Discounts Signal the iPhone 18 Is Close
With the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max expected in September, retailers have begun discounting the iPhone 17 line to clear inventory. Amazon UK has cut the iPhone 17 Pro Max by roughly 150 pounds below its launch price, and John Lewis has matched a similar reduction, while Apple has separately raised iPhone trade-in values by up to 30 percent ahead of the new launch. Rumors of a possible price increase on the iPhone 17 itself, tied to the same memory cost pressures affecting the rest of the industry, have circulated among supply chain leakers, but Apple has not confirmed any change to iPhone 17 pricing.
Because Apple is expected to split its autumn lineup this year, with the standard iPhone 18 not arriving until spring 2027, the iPhone 17 is likely to keep selling as Apple’s mid-tier option for months after the Pro models launch, which gives the current discounting extra significance for shoppers deciding whether to buy now or wait.
What Is Confirmed for the iPhone 18
Apple has not formally detailed the iPhone 18 lineup, and most specifics circulating online remain leaks rather than confirmed specifications. What is well established from Apple’s own past pattern and analyst reporting is the timing: the Pro models typically arrive in September, and Apple has already signaled a structural change by splitting the standard model into a separate, later release. Anything beyond release timing, including chip details, camera changes or pricing, should be treated as unconfirmed until Apple’s own announcement.
Why It Matters
The memory chip price crisis that has been pushing up costs across the smartphone industry has so far spared Apple’s pricing on the iPhone 17, which analysts say is one reason the model has outsold competitors in markets from the United States to Japan. Whether that pricing discipline holds into the iPhone 18 launch, or whether Apple passes rising component costs on to buyers for the first time this cycle, is likely to shape how much of its current lead Apple can defend against Samsung and other rivals through the rest of the year.
