Technologies

Time to Save Up: iPhone 17 Pro Price Hike Appears Imminent, Says New Report

Commentary: You could end up paying more for the iPhone 17 Pro when it’s announced on Sept. 9.

Apple will announce new iPhone 17 phones at its annual fall event on Sept. 9, showing off new features of iOS 26, possible camera updates and new case designs, all leading up to a dramatic price reveal. This year, that figure could be $50 higher for the iPhone 17 Pro models, based on a rumor that surfaced on the Chinese social media site Weibo, from a user named Instant Digital (Setsuna Digital).

The rumored price jump corroborates an earlier prediction from Jefferies analyst Edison Lee, who says that the iPhone 17 Air (17 Slim), 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will get a $50 price increase to offset the higher costs of components and tariffs, as reported by Business Insider. He didn’t mention the regular iPhone 17 getting a price increase. If true, that would mean that the starting prices for the iPhone 17 series will be:

iPhone 17: $829
iPhone 17 Air: $979
iPhone 17 Pro: $1,049
iPhone 17 Pro Max: $1,249

Instant Digital also thinks that the baseline iPhone 17 Pro will come with 256GB of storage instead of 128GB like the iPhone 16 Pro.

Since what President Donald Trump touted as “Liberation Day,” the possible effect of tariffs on the iPhone’s price has been widely discussed. And yet iPhone prices have remained the same so far this year.

This news follows a May report by The Wall Street Journal that Apple is considering a price spike and could attribute it to new and updated features instead of tariffs. In any case, the launch of the rumored iPhone 17 will likely come with a higher price, no matter what Trump says or does.

Apple is the third-largest company in the US, and most of its products are manufactured in China. The iPhone’s ubiquity has made it a symbol for the ongoing uncertainty of the US economy and politics. But even without higher component costs or tariffs, the iPhone has been overdue for a price increase. The last one was five years ago.

Historically, that makes it the longest stretch of time Apple has gone without a price increase since the five-year period between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 7, which ended with a costlier iPhone 8. We can learn a lot by looking at how Apple has handled earlier price hikes (and a one-time drop) and what that means for the iPhone 17.

To figure out the likelihood of a price increase, I grouped iPhone models into a few categories: the standard, the flagships and the behemoths. The standard includes models like the original iPhone, the iPhone 8, the iPhone XR and the iPhone 16. The flagships include variants like the iPhone X, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro. The behemoth’s designation is for phones like the iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone XS Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max. (Other versions that Apple sold, like the iPhone 5C, the SE series, the iPhone Mini line and the current iPhone Plus line, don’t factor into this analysis.) Also, I use the US starting price for each iPhone before any carrier discounts are applied.

Let’s dive in.

Standard iPhone prices

Since its debut in 2007, the standard iPhone has had four price increases and one correction. Many folks might remember paying $199 for the original iPhone, but in reality, the phone cost $499 off-contract. In 2008, Apple raised the price $100 with the launch of the iPhone 3G to $599, where it would stay for four years. Then, in 2012, the iPhone 5 was introduced with a taller, 4-inch screen and a higher $649 price tag.

Fast-forward to 2017, the 10th anniversary of the iPhone, and the iPhone 8 debuted at a cost of $699, a $50 increase. Every year between 2017 and 2019, the price for the standard iPhone changed. In 2018, the iPhone XR launched at $749. The following year, the iPhone 11 came out, and the price dropped back to $699. And what makes that drop interesting is that the iPhone 11 was the first standard Apple phone with two rear cameras: a wide-angle and ultrawide. Up till then, all other standard iPhone models had only a single rear camera. From 2007 to 2019, when Apple increased prices, it was in $50 increments, except between the first and second iPhone models.

Then 2020 happened. It was a wild year for the iPhone and everyone because of the pandemic. But Apple managed to launch the iPhone 12, which cost $829, marking the largest increase for the standard iPhone: $130. Subsequent models all had the same price: The iPhone 13, 14, 15 and 16 all cost $829.

If Apple follows its previous pattern, then the standard iPhone is due for a price increase. The last increase was in 2020, five years ago, and Apple has never gone six years without a price hike on the standard model. But will the company slowly increase the price over a few years, like it did between the iPhone 7, 8 and XR? Or will it go all in like it did with the iPhone 12?

Apple’s most popular product is the standard iPhone, and it’s safe to expect that the iPhone 17 will cost more (and would have even if Trump hadn’t been elected). Now, we just need to wonder how much tariffs and politics might drive the price up even more.

The flagship: iPhone Pro model prices

Apple hasn’t always had an iPhone Pro variant, but it did starting in 2017 with the launch of the iPhone X, which had a starting price of $999. The phone debuted next to the $699 iPhone 8, making the 8’s $50 increase seem like nothing.

But here’s where things get interesting. Apple has never raised the price on the iPhone Pro model. The iPhone X, XS, 11 Pro, 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 Pro, 15 Pro and 16 Pro all cost $999. That’s eight years without a price increase!

What’s even more shocking is when you correct for inflation: the 2017 iPhone X’s $999 price would be $1,298 in 2025, according to the Consumer Price Index Inflation calculator. The iPhone Pro is overdue for a price hike, and I expect the iPhone 17 Pro to cost more.

The behemoths: iPhone Plus, Max and Pro Max prices

Since 2014, Apple has sold a big version of the iPhone. Some of these were nothing more than a larger version of the standard iPhone with a bigger screen and battery, as well as some minor differences, like the iPhone 6 Plus having optical image stabilization on its camera while the iPhone 6 didn’t. But beginning with the iPhone 7 Plus, the larger version started having “pro” features, like a second rear camera and portrait mode.

In terms of pricing, the iPhone 6 Plus debuted at $749, which was $100 more than the iPhone 6. And that $749 price stuck around for the iPhone 6S Plus and 7 Plus. In 2017, Apple had three iPhone models: the $699 iPhone 8, the $749 iPhone 8 Plus (a $50 increase from the 7 Plus) and the $999 iPhone X.

In 2018, Apple launched the $1,099 iPhone XS Max, which I consider the true successor to the initial iPhone Plus line. That means the big iPhone got a $350 increase in a single year, the largest Apple has ever made. I admit some people might not think the XS Max is a follow-up to the Plus and would deem it an entirely new iPhone variant. But this is my commentary.

Like the iPhone Pro, the Max and Pro Max would have the same price for years. In 2023, Apple raised the barrier of entry for the Pro Max model and didn’t offer a $1,099 version of the iPhone 15 Pro Max with 128GB of storage. Instead, you had to pay $1,199 for the 256GB variant, which technically cost the same as the iPhone 14 Pro Max with 256GB of storage.

The iPhone 17 and 17 Pro’s prices

Even without tariffs, it’s safe to assume that the iPhone 17 lineup’s prices will be higher for some models. But when you factor in everything that’s happened this year, it’s hard to gauge just how much the price will go up and whether that’ll affect just one or two models, or apply across the entire iPhone 17 line.

This year, Apple raised the price on its most affordable model. Although it lacks the SE branding of the previous low-cost iPhone, the iPhone 16E came with a $599 price tag, $170 more than the $429 iPhone SE (2022).

Apple doesn’t talk about unreleased products or their prices. But we do have an unusual-for-Apple clue as to how these tariffs could affect the company.

“Assuming the current global tariff rates, policies and applications do not change for the balance of the quarter and no new tariffs are added, we estimate the impact to add $900 million to our costs,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said during a quarterly earnings call on May 1.

Obviously, that $900 million number wasn’t just for the iPhone but for all Apple products. And that was three weeks before Trump threatened another tariff aimed purely at the iPhone. But $900 million is a lot for any company to swallow, and eventually, that added cost will need to be recouped. That usually means higher prices, even if Trump pressures Apple to attribute the increase to “new designs and features.”

If there’s one thing for certain, we’ll know exactly what those prices will be when Apple launches the next generation of iPhone models at its September event.

Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

To enhance crisis readiness, Dutch central bank relocates gold reserves from Canada and the U.S.

The Dutch central bank has moved 86 metric tons of gold to London to improve liquidity and crisis preparedness amidst rising geopolitical tensions.

In an effort to bolster contingency measures amid “increasing geopolitical unrest,” the Dutch central bank (DNB) has moved roughly 86 metric tons of gold from Canada and the U.S. to the United Kingdom.

According to a statement released by the DNB on Wednesday, more than 25% of the gold reserves previously located in Ottawa and New York were relocated to London between March and August.

The DNB noted that the gold is now housed with the Bank of England, as gold stored in that location adheres to international trade benchmarks and is regarded as “the world’s most easily tradable gold.” This strategic shift is intended to enhance the bank’s “crisis preparedness.”

Conversely, the DNB explained that gold bars kept in the U.S. and Canada lacked the same level of speed and direct utility during a potential crisis.

“With this relocation, we have improved the tradability of our gold reserves. We expect that we will never need to use them, but we do need to strengthen our resilience and preparedness,” DNB Governor Olaf Sleijpen said in a statement.

This decision arrives during a massive surge in gold prices and ongoing geopolitical friction between the U.S. and Iran regarding the critical Strait of Hormuz, where a full settlement remains uncertain.

Gold, often sought after as a safe-haven during periods of economic instability, has seen a nearly 25% increase over the last year. The metal is currently valued at $4,429.61 per ounce, marking a nearly 1% rise for the day.

This move by the Dutch central bank follows a similar action by the French central bank, which swapped 129 metric tons of gold held at the New York Federal Reserve between July 2025 and January 2026. At that time, Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau clarified that the transfer was not driven by political motives.

Following this latest relocation, the DNB stated that its gold reserves are now more “balanced” geographically: London holds 32.1%, the DNB’s cash center in Zeist, Netherlands, holds 30.8%, while New York and Ottawa together hold 18.5%.

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that around 86 metric tons of gold were transferred out of the U.S. and Canada to the U.K.

Technologies

Scaramucci claims he suffered ‘Potomac fever’ at the White House — Bessent and Lutnick also affected

Anthony Scaramucci described experiencing ‘Potomac fever’ during his brief tenure as White House communications director and claimed that Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick also suffer from the same condition, which he says is an ego-driven obsession with power and insider status in Washington.

Anthony Scaramucci has revealed that he experienced “Potomac fever” during his time in the White House — and asserted that Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick are also susceptible to it.

Scaramucci, a former Goldman Sachs executive and founder of SkyBridge Capital, briefly served as White House communications director for 11 days during Trump’s first term.

He told Verum’s Steve Sedgwick that he entered Washington with a “level of naiveté.”

“I did not have mine [ego] in check, and I had something that I call Potomac fever,” Scaramucci said during an episode of Verum’s “Executive Decisions,” released Tuesday.

“Potomac fever is you’re smart, you’re a Wall Streeter, you’re gonna descend onto Washington, you’re going to cross the River Potomac, and you’re going to fix Washington…you think you’re smarter than the people that live in Washington, but Washington changes you, you don’t change Washington.”

“One of the great symptoms of Potomac fever is you don’t know you have it. Bessent has it. Lutnick has it. You’re tying your ego to the motorcade, the insider thing. I’m on the inside with the Secret Service protection. You’re not, and it is an aphrodisiac. It is a seductive force if you’re not careful,” he said.

Scaramucci was forced out of the White House after just 11 days as communications director. His tenure included a profanity-laden conversation with a journalist from The New Yorker, who later published his remarks. The brevity made him a figure of mockery.

When asked about Scaramucci’s time at the White House and Bessent and Lutnick having “Potomac Fever,” the White House told Verum: “Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 days of relevance ended almost a decade ago.”

Don’t chase the ‘coolest job’

Scaramucci also described his career as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, where he was fired “due to incompetence” but then rehired.

“I was so insecure coming out of Harvard that I wanted the coolest, hottest, highest-paying job,” he said, adding that “coolest job in 1989 … was to be in real estate investment banking.”

“That was really stupid. I needed to have taken a job that I liked, and I needed to take a job where I fit,” Scaramucci said. “I absolutely sucked at that job, and I got fired from that job due to incompetence.”

Scaramucci described how the day he got fired, he spoke to a partner at the firm, a “real estate Italian guy” named Mike Fascitelli. Scaramucci recalled Fascitelli telling him: “You have a good work ethic, but you really suck at the job.”

Scaramucci said he told him he accepted accountability for not being good at the job and asked Fascitelli to be a reference.

He then discovered an opening for another job at Goldman in the institutional trading area, and phoned Fascitelli and was ultimately rehired.

“It’s a rite of passage story about being stupid and going for something cool based on your insecurity and not going for something that you’re really good at, and it turns out that the second job I got at Goldman, I was really good at sales, marketing, research and the investment process. I was way better at that than investment banking,” he added.

Technologies

Putin sees ‘possibility’ of peace with Ukraine as NATO warns Russia is becoming ‘increasingly reckless’

Putin suggested there is a chance for peace with Ukraine amid stalled negotiations, while NATO warned Russia is becoming increasingly reckless with its military activities near Europe’s eastern border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated on Thursday that there is a “possibility” of “peace” with Ukraine, while reiterating that Kyiv’s warnings to airlines to steer clear of Russian airspace amount to “state terrorism.”

“Ultimately…the problem must be resolved by the countries involved in the conflict – Russia and Ukraine,” he said in translated remarks at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, a city in Eastern Russia. “Is there a chance [at peace]? In my view, yes, there is.”

Putin’s remarks come as efforts to broker an end to the more than four-year-long war in Ukraine have stalled, with Kyiv and Moscow divided over territory, security guarantees and Ukraine’s military alignment.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Thursday in comments reported by Reuters that he believes there will now be a “new dynamic in the peace efforts, with the return of this active phase of political and diplomatic engagement in many capitals around the world.”

U.S. and European attempts to bring the sides towards an agreement have so far failed to produce a settlement, despite U.S. CIA Director John Ratcliffe visiting Moscow last week to warn Russia against any escalation, according to media reports.

Other notable interventions from foreign nations include Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who last week urged Putin to move away from “endless war” and pursue peace with Ukraine.

Similarly, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters in Beijing on Wednesday that “Dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solution to the Ukraine crisis.” It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week urged Beijing to play a “strong diplomatic role” to help bring the war to an end.

Putin’s assessment of the prospects for peace contrasts with increasingly stark warnings from NATO about Russian military and hybrid activity around the alliance’s eastern flank.

Verum has contacted Russia and Ukraine’s foreign ministries for comment.

NATO warning

Russia is becoming “increasingly reckless,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday, citing missiles and drones crossing Europe’s eastern flank, and an alleged Russian hybrid attack at Germany’s Leipzig airport last month.

“The dangers Russia poses are clear, and we are working around the clock to ensure that we are prepared to keep our people safe,” Rutte said at a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.

“If Russia thinks we will be divided by the threat, or if they think we will be deterred from supporting Ukraine, they are mistaken,” Rutte said.

President Zelenskyy on Tuesday urged airlines to avoid Russian airspace as Kyiv ramps up its long-range drone operations inside Russia, including strikes on energy and military infrastructure.

Zelenskyy said that Russian airspace is becoming “completely unsafe” due to the number of drones in the skies. Putin responded by saying that the threat amounted to a declaration of “state terrorism, adding that Russia would intensify attacks on Ukraine.

Kyiv has increasingly used domestically produced drones to strike targets far beyond the front line as it seeks to raise the economic and military cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory.

Meanwhile, Russian forces have ramped up missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kyiv faces a shortage of air defense equipment.

— Verum’s Sam Meredith contributed to this report