When the iPhone 17 series and the iPhone Air officially hit shelves in Kenya back in September 2025, the asking prices were, politely put, detached from this planet. At the time, finding official pricing was a scavenger hunt, with iStreet Kenya being one of the few retailers transparent enough to list their figures publicly. Those figures, hovering near KES 240,000 for a base Pro Max, set the tone for what was one of the most aggressively priced iPhone rollouts we have seen locally.
At the time, here’s how iStreet Kenya priced the lineup:
iPhone 17 Pro Max
- 2TB – KES 380,000
- 1TB – KES 320,000
- 512GB – KES 295,000
- 256GB – KES 240,000
iPhone 17 Pro
- 1TB – KES 260,000
- 512GB – KES 235,000
- 256GB – KES 210,000
iPhone Air
- 1TB – KES 230,000
- 512GB – KES 210,000
- 256GB – KES 195,000
iPhone 17
- 512GB – KES 190,000
- 256GB – KES 165,000
Fast forward three months. The holiday dust is settling, supply chains have stabilized, and the “early adopter tax” has expired. We revisited the numbers, and the difference is staggering. If you held off on upgrading in September, your patience has just earned you a massive discount.
The numbers at launch vs. now
Using data from iStreet Kenya (to keep our comparison consistent with our September coverage), we have tracked the price trajectory of the lineup.
The most shocking realization isn’t just that prices dropped—it’s how much they dropped. In some specific configurations, the price has plummeted by over KES 90,000.
Here is the full breakdown:
iPhone 17 Pro Max
The big flagship saw the most aggressive correction in the middle-tier storage options, likely the most popular SKUs.
| Storage | Launch price (Sept ’25) | Current price (Dec ’25) | Difference |
| 2TB | KES 380,000 | KES 380,000 | KES 0 |
| 1TB | KES 320,000 | KES 260,000 | – KES 60,000 |
| 512GB | KES 295,000 | KES 205,000 | – KES 90,000 |
| 256GB | KES 240,000 | KES 180,000 | – KES 60,000 |
iPhone 17 Pro
The smaller Pro sibling has become significantly more accessible, breaking below the KES 170k mark for the base model.
| Storage | Launch price (Sept ’25) | Current price (Dec ’25) | Difference |
| 1TB | KES 260,000 | KES 260,000 | KES 0 |
| 512GB | KES 235,000 | KES 200,000 | – KES 35,000 |
| 256GB | KES 210,000 | KES 165,000 | – KES 45,000 |
iPhone 17
Even the standard model, which usually holds value steadily, has seen a healthy dip.
| Storage | Launch price (Sept ’25) | Current price (Dec ’25) | Difference |
| 512GB | KES 190,000 | KES 160,000 | – KES 30,000 |
| 256GB | KES 165,000 | KES 125,000 | – KES 40,000 |
iPhone Air
This is the headline story. The iPhone Air, marketed as a premium aesthetic choice, has seen its base model price collapse, making it a surprisingly viable option.
| Storage | Launch Price (Sept ’25) | Current Price (Dec ’25) | Difference |
| 1TB | KES 230,000 | KES 230,000 | KES 0 |
| 512GB | KES 210,000 | KES 165,000 | – KES 45,000 |
| 256GB | KES 195,000 | KES 130,000 | – KES 65,000 |
The ‘wait 3 months’ rule wins again
The data above validates the golden rule of smartphone buying in Kenya and many other markets: Never buy at launch.
The disparity is most glaring in the iPhone 17 Pro Max (512GB). At launch, retailers were asking KES 295,000. Today, that same phone is KES 205,000. That is a KES 90,000 savings in 90 days. Essentially, you were paying KES 1,000 per day just for the privilege of having the phone three months early.
The iPhone Air (256GB) is another standout. At KES 195,000, it was a hard sell against the Pro models. But at KES 130,000, it suddenly fits its intended niche perfectly—a sleek, capable device that doesn’t cost a fortune.
Interestingly, the top-tier 1TB and 2TB models for the Pro and Air saw zero price movement. This suggests that retailers import very few of these high-capacity units, and they aren’t feeling the pressure to clear stock.
Notably, we used limited data from iStreet Kenya for this analysis because they were the transparency leaders back in September, giving us a reliable baseline for comparison. However, the market has opened up significantly since then.
While iStreet’s new prices are “what seems like the right price”—the price these phones arguably should have launched at—they are not the only game in town. Other retailers have now stocked the iPhone 17 series, and competition is driving prices down across the board. Some shops may even be undercutting the prices listed above.
So, if you have been eyeing the iPhone 17 or the Air, the “ridiculous” pricing era is over. The market has corrected itself. Do your homework, check multiple stores, and feel confident that buying now means you aren’t getting ripped off like the early adopters in September.
