Vietnamese retailers worry that iPhone prices will soon increase

In mid-June, Apple announced a 15-25% price increase for iPad and Mac computer products globally due to the memory chip crisis. By July 18, Japan became the first market to adjust iPhone prices, with an increase of 8-11% for iPhone 16, 17e, 17, Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, possibly due to the sharp decrease in the price of the yen compared to the USD, according to the technology site. Macrumors.

Also for exchange rate reasons, Vietnam is one of eight markets to update new prices for the iCloud+ online storage service, along with Nigeria, Türkiye, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, Philippines and Indonesia from July 18.

“The possibility that the iPhone is about to increase in price is completely possible,” said Mr. Hoang Tung, representative of an Apple product distribution unit. Pressure on component costs and prolonged scarcity of supply make this scenario difficult to avoid.

According to a representative of a large retail system, the move to increase Mac and iPad prices shows that Apple has begun to shift the cost burden to product buyers. Therefore, the market is also “holding its breath” waiting for a new announcement from the company.

Based on information from the importing partner, Mr. Hoang Tuan, owner of an Apple product store in Hue Street (Hanoi), said that iPhone 18 “will definitely increase its starting price”. “What the business world is waiting for is whether Apple will increase the prices of currently sold products, such as iPhone 17,” he added.

Apple and Samsung are two major brands that have not adjusted their flagship smartphone prices in 2026. Best-selling versions such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max still remain at 37-38 million VND, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra is from 31 million VND. Meanwhile, many high-end Chinese phone models such as Xiaomi 17 Ultra and Oppo Find X9 Ultra are 5-10 million VND higher than their predecessors.

iPhone accounts for a large proportion of revenue

Some retail systems in Vietnam say the iPhone is the biggest growth driver in the Apple product business. Statistics from a system show that iPhone accounts for two-thirds of Apple’s industry revenue and grew about 40% over the same period last year.

“Increasing iPhone prices means the largest business segment is affected, adding another shock to the mobile market facing many general difficulties in 2026,” said a representative of the above retail system.

The iPhone’s price retention in the first half of 2026 is also contrary to previous years. Normally, after being on sale for a few months, the Pro and Pro Max lines will reduce by 1-2 million VND and take place several times to attract customers. This year, some models such as the iPhone 17 Pro Max have almost no change in price compared to when they were on sale, while the iPhone 13, 14 and 15 series are significantly higher than the same period last year.

“The market is entering a phase where prices are no longer decreasing as a rule, meaning consumers have to buy iPhones that are 15-20% more expensive than before, despite the fact that the company has not made any move to increase prices,” Mr. Hoang Tung said.

Apple has not made any announcements regarding iPhone price adjustments. However, reply WSJ In mid-June, CEO Tim Cook admitted that “increasing the price of Apple products is inevitable.” He said the company had tried to reduce the increase and protect customers, but things were “unsustainable”.

The smartphone market is considered to have entered a mature stage, as the user’s device upgrade cycle is increasingly lengthening. “In that context, a price increase not only increases the cost of ownership but can also cause many users to delay upgrading the device, or switch to a lower version, buy a used device, or even continue to use the current device for a while longer,” Mr. Hoang Tung commented.

The owner of a retail system believes that if a price increase occurs during the announcement of a new iPhone, the purchasing power of the entire market at the end of the year could be significantly affected, because consumers have to consider more between the need to upgrade and the increasing cost.