Apple's 2026 Price Rises: What Changed and What It Means for Refurbished

On 25 June 2026, Apple raised the UK price of most Macs and iPads. The rises run from £100 on the MacBook Neo to £1,300 on the top Mac Studio, and nothing about the hardware changed. If you were planning to buy a Mac or iPad this year, the sums are different now. If refurbished prices hold, the gap between a new machine and the same machine refurbished has got wider.

We sell refurbished Apple products, so weigh what follows accordingly. The prices below come from Apple's UK store as reported by TechRadar and cross-checked against Computing and Gadget Scout. Where we're giving an opinion, we say so.

The short version

• Apple raised UK prices on most Macs and iPads on 25 June 2026, by £100 to £1,300.

• Apple blamed a shortage of memory and storage chips, pushed up by demand from AI data centres.

• The iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods weren't touched in June. The iPhone 18 Pro has since launched from £1,199.

• A refurbished device is priced by its age and condition, not Apple's current list price, so the gap to new has probably widened. Compare the exact spec before you decide.

• Refurbished isn't the right answer for everyone. If you need the latest chip or Apple's own warranty, new may still be the better buy.

What Apple changed in June

Here are Apple's UK list prices before and after the rise for six models. It's a sample, not the full list.

The iMac, Mac mini, iPad mini and entry-level iPad went up too. The biggest rises landed on the high-spec machines, which is why a single headline number doesn't tell you much. What you'd pay extra depends on the configuration you were looking at.

Why Apple says it happened

Apple's explanation is the cost of memory and storage chips. Demand from AI data centres has pushed those prices up across the industry. In a statement reported by PBS NewsHour, Apple said it had "never seen a component price increase this much, this quickly" and had "reached a point where we need to begin raising prices".

It also said it is "working tirelessly to find solutions." That isn't a promise to bring prices back down, and nobody outside Apple knows when memory costs will ease.

What happened to iPhone prices

When the Mac and iPad rises came in, analysts expected the iPhone to be next. Forecasts for the Pro models ranged from $50 to $200 more. Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro on 9 September, at $100 above the iPhone 17 Pro in the US. In the UK it starts at £1,199 for the Pro and £1,299 for the Pro Max.

If the new iPhone is out of your budget, our refurbished iPhones cover earlier models.

What this means if you're buying refurbished

A refurbished device is priced by what it is: its age, its grade, its condition. Apple's list price doesn't set it. So when Apple adds £200 to a new MacBook Air, the refurbished one doesn't automatically follow. That's the whole argument for refurbished right now, and it's a fair one.

Here's the limit of it. Second-hand prices respond to demand. If more people turn to refurbished because new has got dearer, prices on some models could rise. We can't promise ours won't move. What we can say is that the price you see on a listing is the price you pay.

How to check whether refurbished is cheaper for you

1. Decide the spec you need: chip, memory and storage. The same model name can differ by hundreds of pounds between configurations.

2. Check the new price on Apple UK today. Prices may have moved since June.

3. Look at the same product a generation or two back. For everyday work a chip one or two generations old is usually plenty, though that depends on what you run. Our refurbished MacBook Air range includes M4 models.

4. Compare condition and cover as well as price: the grade, the battery health and the warranty. Our guides to what each grade means and battery health explain what to look for.

When new is still the better choice

Choose new if you need the latest chip for heavy work, want Apple's own warranty and AppleCare, or need a configuration we don't stock. At £699, the new MacBook Neo is also a real option, so it's worth comparing it side by side with a refurbished MacBook Air before you decide.

And if you don't need to replace anything yet, keep what you have. The lowest-cost Mac is still the one you already own.

What you get when you buy from MacStore UK

Every device is tested and wiped with Blancco, graded for cosmetic condition, and covered by a 12-month warranty and 30-day returns. Shipping is free on orders over £250. Buying refurbished also avoids a new production run, and we go through the numbers in our post on the environmental impact of refurbished devices.

Should you buy now or wait?

Nobody can say whether Apple will raise prices again, or lower them. Apple hasn't said either way. If you need a Mac or iPad now, waiting for a drop that may not come costs you the use of the device in the meantime. Buying refurbished today at a known price removes one unknown, the price you pay. It can't tell you where Apple's prices go next.

Explore refurbished Apple devices

Browse by category: refurbished MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, MacBook Neo, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, iPad and iPhone.

Not sure which one? Our refurbished MacBook buyer's guide covers what to check before you buy.

Explore refurbished Apple devices with a 12-month warranty and a 30-day return policy.

Frequently asked questions

1. Did Apple raise UK prices in 2026?

Yes. On 25 June 2026 Apple raised the UK price of most Macs and iPads, by amounts ranging from £100 on the MacBook Neo to £1,300 on the M3 Ultra Mac Studio. The iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods were not part of that change.

2. Why did Apple raise its prices?

Apple pointed to a shortage of memory and storage chips, driven by demand from AI data centres. In its statement it said it had never seen "a component price increase this much, this quickly".

3. Which Apple products went up in price?

Macs and iPads, including the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad Pro. The sample table above shows six of them. Apple UK has the full list.

4. Is a refurbished Mac cheaper than a new one after the price rises?

Usually by more than before, because the new price has gone up while a refurbished machine is priced by its age and condition. The only way to be sure is to compare the same chip, memory and storage on both. Check the new price on Apple UK and the refurbished price on our site.

5. Do refurbished prices go up when Apple raises its prices?

Not automatically. A refurbished price reflects the device's age, grade and condition. But used prices respond to demand, so some models could rise if more people switch to refurbished. We can't promise our prices won't change.

6. Will Apple raise prices again?

Nobody outside Apple knows. Apple said it is "working tirelessly to find solutions", which is not a promise to lower prices. If you need a device now, waiting for a price drop is a gamble.

7. What warranty comes with a refurbished Apple device from MacStore UK?

Every device comes with a 12-month warranty and a 30-day returns policy. Devices are tested and wiped with Blancco and graded for cosmetic condition before they are listed.