iPhone 16 Launch: Here’s How Much Bitcoin It Cost To Buy An iPhone Over The Years

The highly anticipated launch of Apple’s iPhone 16 is finally here, hopefully bringing more advanced features and upgrades than the previous iPhone variants. Whilst the tech community is excited about this debut, questions arise about how much this new iPhone as well as other previous versions would cost if it were bought with Bitcoin (BTC).  

The Cost Of iPhones In Bitcoin

Over the years, Apple has introduced more than a dozen new iPhone versions, each commanding a premium price and featuring new upgrades. With Bitcoin’s steady and robust rise since its inception in 2009, the prices of each iPhone in BTC have skyrocketed drastically. 

What once took hundreds of BTC to purchase now requires a just fraction, with the cost of each iPhone surging even higher with the release of new models. In lieu of this, CoinGecko has taken to X (formerly Twitter) post on September 9 to provide a detailed outline of the price of each iPhone in Bitcoin, starting from the earliest version to the latest. 

The iPhone 4s is currently the oldest iPhone model, launched in 2011 when Bitcoin was still in its early stages and worth just a few dollars. At the time, purchasing this archaic model with Bitcoin would have cost a whopping 162 BTC, valued at $9.17 million, based on current exchange rates. 

In 2012, the iPhone 5 hit the market when Bitcoin’s value began to rise steadily. Buying this phone during that year would have cost a hefty 53 BTC. The iPhone 6 and 6s was also released in 2014 and 2015 at a price of 1.7 BTC and 2.8 BTC, respectively. At this time Bitcoin’s price surged significantly, but experienced some mild price fluctuations.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 was further launched in 2016 and 2017, respectively. The price of an iPhone 7 at the time was about 1.1 BTC while an iPhone 8 had been worth 0.19 BTC. 

The iPhone X was also introduced in 2017 alongside iPhone 8, and was priced at 0.14 BTC. In the following year, Bitcoin’s price had stabilized significantly after experiencing a price leap in 2017. Around September 2018, the iPhone XS was released at a price of 0.15 BTC.  

With its improved camera and new upgrades, the iPhone 11 surfaced in 2019 and was bought at 0.068 BTC. The year 2020 also saw the debut of the iPhone 12 when Bitcoin fully entered the mainstream financial world. At the time, the price of iPhone 12 was priced at approximately 0.051 BTC. 

Additionally, in 2021 when Bitcoin’s price skyrocketed to record highs, the iPhone 13 was introduced and priced at an all time low of 0.018 BTC. The following year saw Apple launch the iPhone 14 at 0.042 BTC and the iPhone 15 in 2023 at 0.031 BTC. 

Finally, in 2024 the much anticipated iPhone 16 has officially debuted and is currently available at 0.014 BTC, valued at approximately $792. 

BTC’s Growth Outpaces iPhone Prices

Looking at CoinGecko’s data, it can be observed that the price of each iPhone in Bitcoin over the years have significantly decreased. The decline in the BTC required to buy the latest iPhone models showcases the cryptocurrency’s journey to becoming a high value asset in the financial world. 

While Bitcoin’s price continues to gain traction, characterized by widespread adoption and increased market demand, the price of new iPhones will also increase in dollar terms. Currently, Apple’s iPhone remains a symbol of cutting-edge technology; however, Bitcoin has evolved into a revolutionary technology and payment system in the financial sector. 

Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com