Key Takeaways
- The iPhone 18 Pro costs about 0.0151 BTC or 0.48 ETH, while the Pro Max requires 0.0164 BTC or 0.52 ETH.
- Both models cost over 50% more in Bitcoin and roughly 86% more in Ether than their predecessors.
- Falling crypto prices and Apple’s $100 increase disrupted the long-term trend of iPhones becoming cheaper in crypto terms.
Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro lineup costs significantly more in Bitcoin and Ether than last year’s models, interrupting a long-term trend that made successive iPhones cheaper in crypto terms.
Apple officially priced the iPhone 18 Pro from $1,199 and the Pro Max from $1,299, $100 more than their respective predecessors.
With Bitcoin trading around $79,196 and Ether near $2,500 on launch day, buyers would need approximately 0.0151 BTC or 0.48 ETH for the Pro and 0.0164 BTC or 0.52 ETH for the Pro Max.
Those figures differ from pre-launch reports that placed the starting prices at $1,299 and $1,399. Apple confirmed the lower prices during its Sept. 9 unveiling.
iPhone 18 Costs Up to 87% More in Crypto
The crypto price increase becomes clear when comparing equivalent Pro models.
CoinGecko calculated that the $1,099 iPhone 17 Pro cost approximately 0.0099 BTC or 0.2567 ETH when Apple launched it in September 2025. The $1,199 Pro Max required 0.0108 BTC or 0.28 ETH.
Based on launch-day prices, the iPhone 18 Pro now costs roughly 53% more in Bitcoin and 87% more in Ether than its predecessor. The Pro Max requires approximately 52% more BTC and 86% more ETH.
Apple’s $100 price increase accounts for only part of the change. Crypto depreciation did most of the work. Bitcoin traded at about $111,033 when Apple unveiled the iPhone 17, while Ether stood around $4,282. BTC has since fallen by approximately 29%, and ETH has dropped roughly 42%.
The calculations use spot prices at the time of comparison, so the crypto amounts will continue changing alongside the market.
Apple Disrupts a 15-Year Bitcoin Trend
The reversal breaks with a broader pattern documented by CoinGecko.
When Apple released the $649 iPhone 4S in 2011, Bitcoin traded near $4. Buying the phone would therefore have required 162.25 BTC. By 2025, the base $799 iPhone 17 cost just 0.0072 BTC, a decline of more than 99.9%.
Ether followed a similar trajectory after its launch. A $649 iPhone in 2015 represented approximately 876.41 ETH when Ether traded at only $0.74. The base iPhone 17 required just 0.1841 ETH in 2025.
The decline did not continue uninterrupted. Crypto bear markets previously pushed the Bitcoin cost higher in 2018 and 2022, for example. This year nevertheless marks another rare reversal after the sharp gains recorded in 2025.
Even so, the current price remains negligible compared with the amount of crypto required during Bitcoin and Ethereum’s early years.
Apple Confirms A20 Pro and Higher Prices
Apple’s official announcement confirmed that both Pro models use its new A20 Pro chip, manufactured with a 2-nanometer process.
The devices also feature a 48-megapixel main camera with variable aperture, an upgraded cooling system and a smaller Dynamic Island.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts with 256GB of storage at $1,199, while the Pro Max starts at $1,299. Both models offer capacities of up to 2TB.
Preorders open on Sept. 12, followed by retail availability on Sept. 18.
For crypto investors, however, Apple’s hardware improvements tell only half the story: weaker BTC and ETH prices have made this year’s upgrade considerably more expensive.
The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as, financial advice. We do not make any warranties regarding the completeness, reliability, or accuracy of this information. All investments involve risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results. We recommend consulting a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.
Giuseppe Ciccomascolo began his career as an investigative journalist in Italy, where he contributed to both local and national newspapers, focusing on various financial sectors.
Upon relocating to London, he worked as an analyst for Fitch's CapitalStructure and later as a Senior Reporter for Alliance News. In 2017, Giuseppe transitioned to covering cryptocurrency-related news, producing documentaries and articles on Bitcoin and other emerging digital currencies. He also played a pivotal role in establishing the academy for a cryptocurrency exchange website. Crypto remained his primary area of interest throughout his tenure as a writer for ThirdFloor.
