Apple’s latest iPhones are not exactly getting friendlier to the wallet. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, and Apple’s new foldable iPhone Duo starts at a rather eye-watering $1,999.
The big reveal.
Price of the iPhone 18 Pro#AppleM5
Available September 18. pic.twitter.com/Abqx93OHxh
That’s where Apple’s new Apple Upgrade program gets interesting. Rather than paying the full price upfront, the program lets eligible US customers lease an iPhone through Klarna and pay it off in monthly instalments over 12 or 24 months. At the end, the phone goes back to Apple, and customers can upgrade to a new one without an additional upgrade fee. And when the numbers are lined up, the difference is surprisingly substantial.
For the iPhone 18 Pro, the standard 24-month payment shown by Apple works out to $49.95 per month, compared with $34.99 per month through Apple Upgrade. That’s nearly $15 less every month. The iPhone 18 Pro Max goes from roughly $54.12 per month on a standard 24-month purchase plan to $37.99 per month with Apple Upgrade.
iPhone Duo starts at $1999 in the US. Available in October! #Apple pic.twitter.com/tGYsX6AaJw
Then there’s the iPhone Duo. Its $1,999 starting price works out to $83.29 per month over 24 months if purchased through Apple’s standard monthly payment option. Apple Upgrade brings that down to $57.99 per month.
Over 24 months, that translates to roughly $359 less for the iPhone 18 Pro, $387 less for the Pro Max, and $607 less for the iPhone Duo in monthly payments. That’s a pretty meaningful difference, particularly for the Duo. Suddenly, Apple’s $1,999 foldable doesn’t look quite as terrifying when viewed as a $57.99 monthly expense.
There is, however, a rather important asterisk.
Apple Upgrade doesn’t make the iPhone cheaper; it simply makes the hit easier to swallow. It’s a 24-month lease, after which the phone is returned in good working condition, and customers can upgrade to a new model. Anyone who wants to keep their iPhone indefinitely is better off buying it outright.
The plan can get even cheaper with an eligible trade-in, but there are a few strings attached. It’s provided by Klarna, is currently limited to eligible US customers on AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon, and AppleCare costs extra. Damage can also mean additional charges, while ending the lease early means paying the remaining installments and applicable taxes.
Ultimately, Apple Upgrade is aimed squarely at people who already upgrade every couple of years. For them, spreading the cost into smaller monthly payments and handing the phone back for a fresh one could make far more sense than repeatedly dropping four-figure sums on a smartphone. And with the iPhone Duo pushing that figure to $1,999, Apple’s lease may be less of a gimmick and more of a financial survival strategy.
Not long ago, Apple treated independent repair like an act of outright hostility. The Cupertino giant locked down parts with serial-number pairing, while repair tools remained firmly out of reach of anyone outside its authorized repair network. More importantly, the company waged a legal and lobbying battle against right-to-repair legislation.
I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.
Apple's first foldable phone is now on shelves, in short supply, but with an unreal amount of buzz around it. After all, it's the first foldable iPhone, and there's plenty that this phone gets right. But there's also a lot that is either broken or underwhelming. What's peculiar is the dialogue around this phone, and how it has completely overshadowed every other attempt at making a phone with a similar form factor.
I've spent some time with the iPhone Duo, and I've used the Galaxy Z Fold 8 for almost three months now. In my opinion, Samsung deserves more credit. When the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived earlier this year, it was celebrated in some circles and ridiculed in others for supposedly copying what Apple would eventually deliver with the iPhone Duo. The dialogue was pretty odd, for multiple reasons. Samsung has been making foldable phones for years, so claiming that it copied a product Apple hadn't even launched was simply absurd.
For years, Samsung’s Galaxy A phones have been some of the easiest recommendations for anyone who wants to go the Android route without paying flagship prices. But that part of the lineup could soon become harder to find at a good price.
According to South Korea’s Electronic Times, Samsung is cutting Galaxy A production by about 20% in the fourth quarter compared to its original plans. Component orders have reportedly dropped by a similar amount, which could mean roughly 10 million fewer phones over the year. Samsung is also said to be considering another production cut of more than 10% next year.