Apple has just announced the new iPhone 7, along with a range of other accessories. There is no doubt that this iconic series will attract a large number of consumers, but what can one expect to pay for this new smartphone competitor?
iPhone 7
The standard iPhone 7 will be pretty much frozen in a price compared to the previous iPhone 6S generation. However, this effectively represents a price cut, as Apple has doubled the most affordable storage variant of the iPhone range to 32GB, with the premium iPhone 7 also having twice the 128GB included in the last series.
This means that the iPhone 7 will start at the price tag of $649 (approximately £487, AU$848) for a 32GB version of the phone. The 128GB version of the phone will retail at $749 (approximately £562, AU$979) while the 256GB version comes in at $849 (approximately £638, AU$1,109).
iPhone 7 Plus
The larger iPhone 7 Plus phablet is naturally more expensive than its more compact smartphone cousin. Purchasing the iPhone 7+ SIM-Free, will cost $749 (£619, AU$1,129) for the 32GB version. The 128GB version will retail at $849, (£699, AU$1,379) while the 256GB has been handed a price tag of $949 (£789, AU$1,529).
iPhone 7 contract
Carriers in the United States are still finalizing deals related to the iPhone 7, but one can expect a cheapest offer of around $27 per month for a bog standard version of the smartphone on contractual terms. Apple also has its own iPhone upgrade program, starting at $27.04 or $32.41 per month, depending on whether consumers choose a smartphone or phablet. The latter option is bundled with AppleCare+ and an upgrade option.
EarPods
EarPods will be bundled with the iPhone 7, and as such carry no retail price.
AirPods
AirPods will now become incredibly important to iPhone 7 users, following the removal of the headphones jack in the device. Apple will naturally be banking on shifting large quantities of this peripheral, and it must be said that AirPods don’t come cheap. It is expected that AirPods will retail in October at a price tag of $159. All iPhone 7 units will be sold with an adapter for the Lightning-based technology.
There can be some confusion over the difference between EarPods and AirPods. The latter is a smart system featuring a new ultra-low-power W1 chip. The technology incorporates a infrared sensor which detects when the technology is present in the ears of an iPhone user, enabling the device to automatically play and pause music. There is also an accelerometer that can detect vibrations from speech, and beam-forming microphones that focus voice output and filter out any external noise. AirPods can also direct access Siri.
Apple Watch Series 2
The Apple Watch Series 2 comes in various models, in common with the original Apple Watch, with the most affordable starting at a reasonable retail price of $369. But there is also a fancier model of the Apple Watch Series 2, effectively the equivalent to the Apple Watch Edition launched last year. The new ceramic Apple Watch Edition replaces last year’s solid-gold watches, with the Hermès collection starting at $1,149 for a stainless steel Apple Watch Series 2. Various face and band options are available with this premium model.
iPad Pro
Although the iPad Pro has been available for a while, Apple took the opportunity at the launch of the iPhone 7 to trim the price of this tablet. The iPad Air 2 is now offered in 32GB and 128GB versions at $399 and $499 respectively, with the iPad Mini 4 also retailing at the same price points. The iPad Mini 2 is now available solely in 32GB storage tier, with a retail price of $269.
Apple has also slashed the price of the 9.7 iPad Pro rom $749 to $699 for the 128GB storage tier and from $899 to $799 for the 256GB model. Finally, the retail price of the 12.9 iPad Pro has been cut from $949 to $899 for the 128GB storage tier and from $1,099 to $999 for the 256GB version.
