Apple Upgrade, the new leasing program for iPhone, Mac and iPad

With Apple Upgrade you will be able to choose whether to keep the device at the end of the contract, redeem it early or upgrade to a newer model before it expires, depending on your needs. The announcement comes a few weeks after the price increase of MacBooks, iPads and other Apple products, due to persistent difficulties in the availability of memories and storage components.

iPhones, at least for the moment, have remained excluded from the price increases, even if CEO Tim Cook had recently warned that the situation has become “unsustainable”, hinting that the future iPhone 18 range could arrive on the market with higher prices.

The new program will be available both online and in physical Apple Stores in the United States. The financial partner of the initiative is Klarna, which will manage the financing. To join you will need to pass a preliminary credit check (soft credit check), which does not affect your credit score.

Apple offers different durations based on the product category: 24 months for iPhone and Apple Watch; 36 months for Mac and iPad. At the end of the contract, users will be able to choose between three options: upgrade to the latest model, purchase the device outright with a final payment, or return it and end the contract.

Apple has set rather low monthly fees for entry-level models: iPhone 17e from $17.99 per month; Apple Watch Series 11 from $11.99 per month; MacBook Air from $24.99 per month; iPad Air from $11.99 per month. Naturally the amount will vary based on the model chosen and its configuration.

With the launch of Apple Upgrade, the company retires the previous iPhone Upgrade Program, introduced in 2015 and limited exclusively to smartphones. New registrations for the old service have in fact been closed.

The main innovation is the extension of the program to a much larger number of Apple devices. However, there is also an important waiver: Apple Upgrade does not include AppleCare+, the warranty extension service that was part of the previous program and which recently also underwent a price increase.

In the meantime, rumors are also emerging about future measures against non-payments. Some references discovered in the iOS 27 beta code suggest that Apple is developing a system capable of limiting access to apps on iPhones purchased through financing if the customer is late with the installments, a function that could accompany the debut of the new Apple Upgrade program.