{"id":738431,"date":"2026-08-15T03:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T03:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/738431\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T03:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T03:36:10","slug":"should-you-buy-an-iphone-17-now-or-wait-for-iphone-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/738431\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a> in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro<\/a>, \u200ciPhone 18 Pro\u200c Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra<\/a>. The lower-cost \u200ciPhone 18\u200c won’t come out until spring 2027.<\/p>\n

With prices rumored to be going up in the fall, does it make sense to buy an iPhone 17<\/a> now, or wait for the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c?<\/p>\n

Price Increases<\/p>\n

Apple raised the prices<\/a> of Macs and iPads in June, but iPhones remain untouched so far. We’re expecting the \u200ciPhone 18 Pro\u200c and Pro Max to be $100 to $300 more expensive, and the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c could also be pricier.<\/p>\n

TrendForce suggests Apple could charge more<\/a> for the \u200ciPhone 17\u200c when it introduces new \u200ciPhone 18 Pro\u200c models, with price increases hitting even existing iPhone models. If that’s the case, there won’t be a monetary benefit to waiting to buy a prior-generation iPhone like there usually is. Depending on how much prices go up, you could save some cash if you buy now, especially if you’re buying outright. Pricing on the \u200ciPhone 17\u200c starts at $799.<\/p>\n

With a payment plan, you’ll still save money, but a few dollars per month over a 12-month to 24-month period won’t hit as hard.<\/p>\n

Trade-Ins<\/p>\n

If you’re planning to trade in an older iPhone, it’ll be worth more now than it will be when the \u200ciPhone 18 Pro\u200c models come out. Trade-in prices for older iPhones drop with every new iPhone launch.<\/p>\n

Quality Might Go Down<\/p>\n

From what we’ve heard of \u200ciPhone 18\u200c rumors, Apple could be implementing cost-cutting measures that drop quality in some areas. Apple might use a cheaper screen<\/a> that’s not as bright, and lower-quality A20 chips with fewer GPU cores. Apple is said to be using components from the low-cost iPhone 18e for the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c, narrowing the gap between the two devices. If that’s the case, it won’t be as good a value as the \u200ciPhone 17\u200c because it will share fewer features with Apple’s more expensive iPhones.<\/p>\n

iOS 27 Features<\/p>\n

There are mixed rumors about the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c’s RAM situation. Two rumors say it will get 12GB, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo<\/a> says Apple is only going to up it to 9GB. With 9GB RAM, the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c won’t support the iOS 27<\/a> Siri<\/a> voice customization and dictation features, which require 12GB RAM. The \u200ciPhone 17\u200c doesn’t have 12GB RAM and doesn’t get those features either, so there is no \u200ciOS 27\u200c benefit to waiting unless Apple opts for 12GB RAM.<\/p>\n

iPhone 18 Upgrades<\/p>\n

The \u200ciPhone 18\u200c is on hold until spring 2027, but we’ve still heard rumors about what to expect. Some of these features might be worth holding out for, depending on what you want in an iPhone.<\/p>\n

A20 chip – The A20 chip will be built on Apple’s 2nm process, likely bringing CPU speed and efficiency improvements.
\nRAM – The \u200ciPhone 17\u200c has 8GB RAM, and the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c is rumored to get either 9GB or 12GB. 9GB isn’t much of an increase, and it won’t support the \u200cSiri\u200c Expressive Voices or dictation improvements in \u200ciOS 27\u200c, but 12GB would.
\nFront camera – There could be a 24-megapixel selfie cam instead of an 18-megapixel camera, but that’s still up in the air.
\nSmaller Dynamic Island – The \u200ciPhone 18\u200c is rumored to be getting the same smaller Dynamic Island<\/a> Apple is bringing to the \u200ciPhone 18 Pro\u200c models.
\nModem – Apple will likely use its C2 modem in the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c for faster, more reliable connectivity.<\/p>\n

The iPhone 17 Is Still Good<\/p>\n

The \u200ciPhone 17\u200c is the iPhone that we recommend for most people in our 2026 iPhone Buyer’s Guide<\/a>. It has the best mix of premium features, performance, and price, with only a handful of features reserved for the iPhone 17 Pro<\/a> models.<\/p>\n

It has the same 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate and Always-On display, the same Wide and Ultra Wide cameras, a chip that’s not too much slower, and the same size display as the \u200ciPhone 17 Pro\u200c. It lacks a Telephoto camera, has less RAM, uses a less durable chassis, and has a smaller battery, but that’s about it.<\/p>\n

If you’re coming from an older iPhone like the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, or iPhone 15, the \u200ciPhone 17\u200c is going to be a major upgrade, and there’s little reason to wait if you don’t care about the features rumored for the \u200ciPhone 18\u200c. Cost and timing are the two main reasons you might want to buy now instead of waiting.<\/p>\n

We don’t know what \u200ciPhone 17\u200c and \u200ciPhone 18\u200c pricing will look like in spring 2027, and roughly six months is a long additional wait if you were expecting to get a new phone in September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the first time since Apple started selling standard and “Pro” iPhones, we’re not going to get an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":738432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[87,59,88,39706,86,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-738431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-featured","tag-gb","tag-iphone-17","tag-iphone-18","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=738431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/738432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=738431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=738431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=738431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}