The original iPhone launched in the U.S. on June 29, 2007, at $499 for 4GB or $599 for 8GB with a two-year AT&T contract. By 2017, the iPhone X started at $999 for 64GB and cost $1,149 for 256GB. Those figures are not a like-for-like price comparison: most models from the iPhone 3G through the iPhone 6s were advertised at subsidized prices tied to qualifying carrier contracts, while the iPhone 7 and later prices were full retail. The timeline below lists U.S. pre-tax launch prices and separates those pricing models.
Complete U.S. iPhone launch-price timeline
Each row shows the model’s U.S. release date, base and highest launch storage, and advertised prices for those configurations. Contract prices required a qualifying carrier agreement; cellular service costs and sales tax are not included. “Full retail” identifies prices not presented as two-year-contract subsidies.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Apple iPhone X, 64GB Unlocked - Gray | $148.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
Apple iPhone XS, 64GB, Space Gray - Unlocked (Renewed) | $147.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Apple iPhone X, 64GB Unlocked - Silver | $130.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Apple iPhone SE 2nd Generation, 64GB, White - Unlocked (Renewed) | $97.47 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
Apple iPhone XR, US Version, 64GB, Black - Verizon (Renewed) | $137.03 | Buy on Amazon |
| Model | U.S. release | Base storage and price | Highest launch storage and price | Pricing basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original iPhone | June 29, 2007 | 4GB — $499 | 8GB — $599 | Two-year AT&T contract |
| iPhone 3G | July 11, 2008 | 8GB — $199 | 16GB — $299 | Qualifying new two-year AT&T contract |
| iPhone 3GS | June 19, 2009 | 16GB — $199 | 32GB — $299 | Qualifying two-year AT&T contract |
| iPhone 4 | June 24, 2010 | 16GB — $199 | 32GB — $299 | Contract-era AT&T pricing |
| iPhone 4S | October 14, 2011 | 16GB — $199 | 64GB — $399 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 5 | September 21, 2012 | 16GB — $199 | 64GB — $399 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 5c | September 20, 2013 | 16GB — $99 | 32GB — $199 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 5s | September 20, 2013 | 16GB — $199 | 64GB — $399 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 6 | September 19, 2014 | 16GB — $199 | 128GB — $399 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 6 Plus | September 19, 2014 | 16GB — $299 | 128GB — $499 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 6s | September 25, 2015 | 16GB — $199 | 128GB — $399 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone 6s Plus | September 25, 2015 | 16GB — $299 | 128GB — $499 | Contract pricing |
| iPhone SE (1st generation) | March 31, 2016 | 16GB — $399 | 64GB — $499 | Direct retail pricing |
| iPhone 7 | September 16, 2016 | 32GB — $649 | 256GB — $849 | Full retail |
| iPhone 7 Plus | September 16, 2016 | 32GB — $769 | 256GB — $969 | Full retail |
| iPhone 8 | September 22, 2017 | 64GB — $699 | 256GB — $849 | Full retail |
| iPhone 8 Plus | September 22, 2017 | 64GB — $799 | 256GB — $949 | Full retail |
| iPhone X | November 3, 2017 | 64GB — $999 | 256GB — $1,149 | Full retail |
Apple’s announcement dates and release dates were not always the same. For example, Apple announced the iPhone X on September 12, 2017, opened preorders October 27, and released it November 3. Prices in the table are the advertised U.S. launch prices, not later discounts or current used-device values. Apple’s contemporaneous announcement covers the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X pricing: Apple’s September 2017 announcement.
What the original iPhone price included
Apple announced the first iPhone in January 2007 and released it in the U.S. on June 29. The two launch configurations were $499 for 4GB and $599 for 8GB, sold through Apple and Cingular, which later became AT&T, with a two-year service contract. Apple’s launch announcement confirms the date and prices: June 2007 launch details.
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- Unlocked and Compatible with All service providers Worldwide
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- Includes Charger and Cable. Does not include the Sim Card (Sim card is always provided by your service provider)
The frequently quoted $399 price was not the original launch price. In September 2007, Apple discontinued the 4GB version and cut the 8GB model to $399. That was a later price change, not the price buyers saw on launch day.
Why the $199 iPhones were not full-price phones
From the iPhone 3G through the iPhone 6s generation, Apple commonly advertised the entry configuration at $199, but that figure generally depended on a qualifying two-year carrier contract. The iPhone 3G is a clear example: its $199 8GB price and $299 16GB price required a new two-year AT&T rate plan. Apple compared that subsidized 8GB model with the original 8GB iPhone when calling it “half the price”; the comparison did not mean the phones had equivalent no-contract prices. Apple’s iPhone 3G pricing and contract terms.
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- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage, which is not noticeable when the device is held at arm's length.
Later generations expanded storage and added distinct size and price tiers. The iPhone 4S offered a 64GB configuration at $399; the 5s and 6s lines included models with more storage, and the 6 Plus and 6s Plus began $100 above their standard-size counterparts at the same storage tier. The iPhone 5c, introduced alongside the 5s, had its own lower contract-price ladder rather than being merely another color of the 5s.
These advertised amounts were not the total cost of owning the phone: they excluded sales tax and the required cellular service plan. For the iPhone 5 and later contract-era models, Apple and carriers also listed full-retail prices. For example, the iPhone 5’s 16GB, 32GB and 64GB versions were commonly listed at $649, $749 and $849 full retail, respectively, alongside the $199, $299 and $399 contract prices. The contract headline should therefore not be compared directly with a later full-retail figure.
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- Unlocked and Compatible with All service providers Worldwide
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- Includes Charger and Cable. Does not include the Sim Card (Sim card is always provided by your service provider)
The shift to direct and full-retail prices
The first-generation iPhone SE arrived in March 2016 at $399 for 16GB and $499 for 64GB, presented as direct retail pricing. It was a compact model in the lineup, not simply the next numbered flagship after the 6s. Apple’s iPhone SE announcement.
The iPhone 7 generation made the consumer-facing shift especially visible: the 32GB iPhone 7 started at $649 full retail, and the 32GB iPhone 7 Plus at $769. Their 128GB and 256GB tiers rose to $749 and $849 for iPhone 7, and $869 and $969 for iPhone 7 Plus. At the shared 32GB entry point, the Plus model carried a $120 premium. This was a change in advertised pricing basis, not evidence that a $199 contract phone and a $649 full-retail phone represented the same kind of transaction. Apple’s iPhone 7 pricing announcement.
Rank #4
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charging cable.
- Inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage, which is not noticeable when the device is held at arm's length.
How to interpret the 2017 prices
The iPhone 8 started at $699 for 64GB, $50 above the iPhone 7’s 32GB starting price; those entry models also had different base storage. The 8 Plus began at $799 for 64GB. Released alongside them as the premium tenth-anniversary model, the iPhone X started at $999 for 64GB and rose to $1,149 for 256GB. Its entry price was $300 above the iPhone 8’s, but the two were different product tiers, not equivalent configurations.
What changed across the timeline
In nominal dollars, the advertised starting price moved from $499 for the 4GB original iPhone to $999 for the 64GB iPhone X. That comparison alone does not measure how much more expensive an iPhone became: it crosses a change from contract-subsidized headlines to full-retail prices, spans different storage capacities and compares distinct generations of hardware. Plus-size models and higher storage tiers also widened the range within a single release year.
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- This device is locked to Verizon only and not compatible with any other carrier.
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charger and charging cable.
- Inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage, which is not noticeable when the device is held at arm's length.
Inflation-adjusted prices answer a separate question about purchasing power, and price per gigabyte offers one narrow way to compare storage costs. Neither accounts for differences in capabilities, service commitments or product design. The Bureau of Economic Analysis has analyzed historical iPhone introduction-price ranges while distinguishing subsidized from unsubsidized prices; its paper is useful context for economic comparisons, rather than a substitute for the nominal launch-price record above: BEA paper on iPhone introduction prices.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
