Apple’s top-segment smartphone models have seen significant price changes over the years, both globally and locally. The topic of price changes, particularly for iPhones, continues to be a topic of interest for users and technology enthusiasts. The starting price of $999, introduced with the iPhone X in 2017, was maintained for a long time, but in recent years it has given way to an upward trend. During this period, pricing in the Turkish market followed a different course due to fluctuations in exchange rates and tax regulations.

Eight-Year Price Journey and Market Differences

Apple reached a price level of $999 with its revolutionary iPhone X and managed to maintain this level for many years. The price of top-tier iPhone models starting remained fixed at $999 until the iPhone 17 Pro model, released in 2025.

Apple, which increased the starting price of the iPhone 17 Pro to $1,099, added another $100 to this figure for the iPhone 18 Pro model, reaching $1,199. In the US market, the total increase over this eight-year period was $200, or approximately 9,684 TL.

However, the situation in the Turkish market presents a quite different picture, with prices consistently increasing. The starting price of the $999 iPhone X, released in 2017, was set at 6,099 TL in Turkey.

At that time, the dollar exchange rate was approximately 3.96 TL, which was one of the main factors determining the device’s accessibility. Today, the starting price of the $1,199 iPhone 18 Pro, available for pre-order, has reached 137,999 TL in Turkey, based on an exchange rate of 48 TL.

In light of this information, the starting price of a high-end iPhone model in Turkey has increased by 131,900 TL in eight years. This increase corresponds to a difference of $2,725 in dollar terms, representing an increase of approximately 2,163 percent in percentage terms.

The impact of tax burden on pricing

One of the main reasons for the high pricing in Turkey is the various tax items added to the device. According to data shared by tax expert Ozan Bingöl, the tax-free price of the iPhone 18 Pro is 67,775 TL.

A 1% Ministry of Culture share is added to this tax-free amount, resulting in a cost of 678 TL. Subsequently, a 12% TRT Bandrol Fee comes into play, and this item is reflected in the device price as 8,213 TL.

The tax burden doesn’t end there, and a 50% Special Consumption Tax (SCT) is included in the calculation. This tax item adds a significant additional cost of 38,333 TL to the device.

Finally, a 20% Value Added Tax (VAT) is added, resulting in another 23,000 TL. When all these items are added together, the total tax burden on the device reaches 70,224 TL.

This table proves that technology prices in Turkey are directly affected not only by the exchange rate but also by the tax structure. How do you think this rapid increase in smartphone prices affects users’ device replacement preferences?

How have iPhone prices changed over the last eight years? We examined the price difference and tax burden between the US and Türkiye.