The financial firm Self has taken a closer look at how the price of the iPhone has evolved since the first model was launched in 2007. It feels like they’ve been getting steadily more expensive over the years, but is that borne out by the figures?
Yes, in short. On average, the price of Apple’s smartphones has risen by 81% over the past 14 years. “This means that in 2021, the latest flagship iPhone model costs $437 more to buy in each of the 38 countries it’s available in than it used to,” the site writes.
Note that this isn’t just the effects of inflation, which iPhone price increases have outpaced by 26%, on average.
But there’s a big difference between countries. While the US has seen prices increase by just 12%, when you take into account changes in local GDP, it’s gone up by 50% in the UK – yet another piece of evidence for the notion of Ripoff Britain.
However, we’re by no means the worst off. Our colleagues in Sweden, for instance, have seen iPhone prices rise by 55%, and in Australia it’s risen by 58%. The biggest rises of all have been seen in Canada (72%) and, topping the chart, the UAE with a gargantuan 110%.
In some cases, conversely, GDP has increased more than the price of Apple’s handsets, which means it has become cheaper – ‘in real terms’, to use the politician’s favourite phrase – to buy an iPhone in countries such as Russia, China and India. In the case of Ireland, the effective price reduction is as big as 32%.
If you want to explore the differences between countries on your own, and see the precise details of the site’s methodologies, you can use the interactive map on the Self website. And if you want to keep prices as low as possible, find a bargain with our guide to the best iPhone deals.
This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden. Translation (using DeepL) and additional reporting by David Price.
