Apple retired the iPhone Upgrade Program in favor of a new Apple Upgrade leasing option made available in partnership with Klarna. Apple Upgrade gives customers an option to get iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watches at cheaper prices than before, but there are some things worth knowing about it.


We've gathered up some smaller tidbits that you should be aware of before deciding to opt in.

• U.S. Only - Apple Upgrade is only available in the United States, and there's no word on whether it will expand to other countries.


• Unlocked iPhones - iPhones leased with Apple Upgrade are unlocked, but you are required to choose a carrier at checkout. Carrier options include AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Since the iPhone is unlocked, you can switch carriers after purchase or add a second eSIM.


• Postpaid Plans Only - You have to have a postpaid plan through a supported carrier to use Apple Upgrade. Prepaid plans aren't an option when leasing.


• Ownership - You don't own the iPhone you're leasing at the end of the lease term unless you pay off the final amount. Your final payment is the device's cost when it was leased minus what was paid during the lease. If you don't want to purchase the iPhone, or if you want to upgrade, you need to return the leased iPhone.


• No Lockout - Code in the iOS 27 beta suggested Apple could restrict apps and services if there are missed payments on a leased device, but it's not for Apple Upgrade. Missing a payment won't change how your iPhone works.


• Missed Payments - If you miss a payment, it's rolled into your next month's payment. There are no late fees.


• Three Strikes - If you miss three payments in a row, Klarna automatically terminates your lease and the full balance of the iPhone is due immediately. Klarna will subtract the value of the iPhone from the amount owed when you return it, cutting down on the payoff amount. If you don't return the iPhone or don't pay the balance, Klarna will send the account to collections.


• No Fees - There are no fees for missing a payment, but you are subject to the lease termination rules. Missing a payment can also impact your credit score.


• AppleCare+ - Unlike the iPhone Upgrade Program, AppleCare+ is not included with the Apple Upgrade leasing fee, and it needs to be purchased separately. ‌AppleCare‌+ for the iPhone is $9.99 to $13.99 per month, or you can get ‌AppleCare‌ One for $19.99 per month. ‌AppleCare‌ One covers three devices.


• Damage - Klarna will charge for any damage to an iPhone, and you'll need to pay for a repair when returning a device. If you have ‌AppleCare‌+, you'll only pay the ‌AppleCare‌+ service fee.


• iPhone Upgrade Program - The iPhone Upgrade Program is discontinued. Current members don't have to swap to Apple Upgrade or another purchase option right now, but will need to do so at their next upgrade.


• Apple Card Monthly Installments - Apple Card holders can still choose to finance an iPhone with zero interest using the ‌Apple Card‌ Monthly Installments option. An iPhone purchased with ‌Apple Card‌ is owned outright.


• Ineligible Products - Some Apple devices can't be purchased with Apple Upgrade, including the iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, Apple Watch SE, MacBook Neo, Mac mini, A16 iPad, and Studio Display.


• No EDU - You can't use Apple Upgrade for discounted education prices.


• No Refurbished Devices - You can't buy a refurbished Apple device with Apple Upgrade.


• Ending a Lease Early - You can end a lease early, but you need to pay off the remaining amount on the lease and then return the device.


• Buying Out a Lease - You can pay off a lease early with no penalty.


• Soft Credit Check - There's no hard credit check when initiating a lease, so getting approval for a lease won't affect your credit.


• Trade-Ins - When you initiate a lease, you can trade in an old iPhone. Trade-in value is split across your monthly payments instead of applied up front. You can't do a trade-in when sending a device back to upgrade to a new one.


• Payment Restrictions - Klarna doesn't accept some credit cards, like AMEX, Chase, and Capital One. Other credit cards like the ‌Apple Card‌ can be used for Apple Upgrade payments to Klarna.

More Details

We have more information on Apple Upgrade in our full article, along with details on pricing.
This article, "Apple Upgrade: 20 Things to Know Before Leasing an iPhone, iPad, or Mac" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today launched Apple Upgrade, a new U.S. leasing program for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. Apple partnered with Klarna for Apple Upgrade, and it replaces the current iPhone Upgrade Program and iPhone Payments.


Apple Upgrade has lower base prices than the iPhone Upgrade Program, with iPhones available starting at $17.99 per month and the Apple Watch available starting at $11.99 per month. Macs can be leased starting at $24.99 per month, and iPads start at $11.99 per month. AppleCare+ is optional and not included in the lease price, with customers also able to opt for ‌AppleCare‌ One.

There are 12-month and 24-month leasing options for the iPhone and Apple Watch, along with 24-month and 36-month leasing options for the Mac and ‌iPad‌. Lease cost varies based on device, and is lower with a device trade-in that's applied on a monthly basis. Apple has some sample pricing, minus taxes and trade-in credits:

• 256GB iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099) - Typical monthly payment is $31.99 with a 24-month lease or $45.99 with a 12-month lease.


• 42mm Apple Watch Series 11 ($399) - Typical monthly payment for a 24-month lease term is $11.99 per month, or $21.99 for a 12-month lease term.


• 256GB iPad Pro ($1,199) - Typical monthly payment is $24.99 for a 36-month lease term, or $31.99 for a 24-month lease term.


• 16GB 14-inch MacBook Pro ($1,999) - Typical monthly payment is $38.99 for a 36-month lease, and $53.99 for a 24-month lease.

When leasing an iPhone, customers are required to choose a plan from AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile, and prepaid plans are not eligible. iPhones need to be leased with a carrier plan, but the iPhones are unlocked so customers can switch carriers if desired. MVNOs like Mint Mobile or Visible are not supported.

At the end of the leasing period, customers can choose to return the device and exit the program, pay off the remaining amount owed on the device with a one-time payment and keep it, or return it and upgrade to a new device with a new lease.

The payoff amount is the difference between what was paid during the leasing period and the retail price of the device, minus any remaining trade-in credits. Klarna is not charging a fee for the leasing program, so an iPhone that's $1,099 can be leased and then purchased for $1,099 with no extra cost beyond taxes.

As with trade-ins, Apple will send a pre-labeled and prepaid shipping box for device returns or upgrades.

If you don't opt to pay the purchase fee at the end of the leasing program, you will not own the device and must return it.

Apple is discontinuing the iPhone Upgrade Program, and iPhones can no longer be purchased with it. Current participants can continue to make payments until their existing iPhones are paid off, but at the next purchase, they will need to switch over to Apple Upgrade or another payment option. Apple Card users can continue to buy devices with the ‌Apple Card‌ Monthly Installments plan or choose Apple Upgrade and get 3% Daily Cash back on lease payments made with ‌Apple Card‌.

Apple Upgrade is available for online and in-store purchases. Customers can select their preferred leasing option, and after a soft credit check, get an instant approval from Klarna if eligible. Lease information like billing schedule, total price, and remaining payments can be managed in the Klarna app.

Most iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple Watch models are eligible for Apple Upgrade, but the program can't be used for iPhone 16, ‌iPhone 16‌ Plus, Apple Watch SE, MacBook Neo, Mac mini, ‌iPad‌ (A16), and Studio Display purchases. Apple Upgrade cannot be used with EDU discounts, and leases aren't available for refurbished devices. Apple also excludes purchases made with the Apple Employee Purchase Plan and business, government, veteran, and military purchase programs.

Fine Print

Lease participants can opt to end a lease early and return a device, but Apple says there may be "substantial fees" for terminating a lease before the end of the term. The fee is the remaining amount of the lease, so terminating a lease three months early means paying the remaining three months. There is no fee for paying off a lease early.

Customers must upgrade, end the lease, or purchase the device at the end of the lease term. If that doesn't happen, the lease converts to a month-to-month lease for up to six months. Month-to-month payments will remain the same, but if there was a trade-in credit being applied monthly, it ends when the lease does, so payments could go up. At the end of the month-to-month lease add-on, customers will be charged the purchase fee.

Damage to an iPhone, losing an iPhone, or having an iPhone stolen could incur fees. Klarna assesses damage at return and charges accordingly. With ‌AppleCare‌+, the cost is the applicable service fee, but without it, the full cost of the assessed damage has to be paid.

If a customer misses a payment, the payment is rolled into the next month's payment, but there are no late fees incurred. If there are three consecutive missed payments, the lease agreement ends and the customer has to pay the full outstanding balance minus the value of the device when returned. If Klarna is unable to collect payment, the case will be handed over to Klarna's debt collection agencies. Apple says Klarna support offers a one-month payment deferral and an early lease termination option with a repayment plan.

Leases are restricted to customers who are 18 or older (or legal age in their resident state) with a valid SSN or ITIN. Customers must be U.S. residents, and territories are excluded. An Apple Account in good standing is required, as is a Klarna account and a credit or debit card.

Availability

Apple devices can be leased with Apple Upgrade in stores or online starting today.
This article, "Apple Retires iPhone Upgrade Program for Klarna-Backed Leases" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A shortage of memory chips has impacted the entire computer market, affecting Macs and PCs alike. Apple and other companies have raised prices, but Apple is better positioned than its competitors. Machines like the Mac mini and the Mac Studio are in demand for on-device AI agent use, and Apple plans to take advantage by refreshing its Mac lineup across 2026 and 2027.


Apple already launched the MacBook Neo and refreshed the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models with M5-series chips, but there are more updates coming before the end of the year.

Fall 2026 Launches

• 14-inch MacBook Pro - The entry-level 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ is expected to get an M6 chip, and it'll be one of the first machines with Apple's 2-nanometer chip technology.


• iMac - The 24-inch iMac will get an update, and it'll also probably get the new M6 chip. No design or display changes are expected, so it'll continue to look like the current model from 2024.

Late 2026 to Early 2027

• OLED MacBook Pro - A ‌MacBook Pro‌ (or MacBook Ultra) with an OLED touchscreen display could launch in late 2026, but Apple might also hold it until early 2027. The higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook models will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips because Apple isn't going to release M6 Pro and M6 Max chips. The ‌OLED‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ will have an updated design.


• Mac Studio - Apple is working on a refreshed version of the ‌Mac Studio‌ with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, but launch timing is unclear because of RAM shortages and costs.


• Mac mini - There are M5 Pro and M6 ‌Mac mini‌ models in development, but as with the ‌Mac Studio‌, launch timing is not known. We could get these two machines as soon as 2026, in early 2027, or they might even be held until later in 2027.

2027 Mac Plans

• MacBook Air - Refreshed 13-inch and 15-inch ‌MacBook Air‌ models are planned for early 2027. The new machines are likely to get the M6 chip Apple is working on.


• 14-inch MacBook Pro - An updated entry-level 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with an M7 chip could come in as soon as early 2027. It will not have an ‌OLED‌ display like Apple's higher-end ‌MacBook Pro‌ machines coming in late 2026 or early 2027, but it is expected to get the same design overhaul.


• MacBook Neo - There's a new version of the low-cost ‌MacBook Neo‌ coming, but we don't know exactly when. It's expected to use a faster A19 Pro chip and it will come with more memory. New colors are also a possibility.

Late 2027 to Early 2028

• Second OLED MacBook Pro - A second-generation ‌OLED‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ will come approximately a year after Apple releases the first version. The late 2027 to early 2028 ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will get Apple's M7 Pro and M7 Max chips, which are built for artificial intelligence workloads.

2028

• OLED MacBook Air - Apple plans to bring ‌OLED‌ displays to the ‌MacBook Air‌, but 2028 is the earliest we'll see an ‌OLED‌ ‌MacBook Air‌, and launch timing could even be pushed back.


• OLED iMac - Apple is also working on an ‌OLED‌ ‌iMac‌, but it's not known when exactly it will come out. It could be released sometime around the ‌OLED‌ ‌MacBook Air‌.

Chip Mixing

According to Bloomberg, Apple is moving up development of its M7 chips that are built for AI workloads, skipping some M6 chips. Apple won't come out with an M6 Pro or M6 Max chip, which is why the first ‌OLED‌ ‌MacBook Pro‌ models will use M5 Pro and M5 Max chips instead of newer technology. Apple's rough chip release schedule:

• M5 Ultra - Late 2026


• M6 - Late 2026


• M7 - First half of 2027


• M7 Pro - End of 2027


• M7 Max - End of 2027


• M7 Ultra - 2028

Memory Prices

Global memory shortages caused Apple to make major changes to its Mac and iPad pricing in June, and prior to that, Apple discontinued some ‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ models that included higher RAM upgrade options. Limited memory availability could affect Apple's Mac launch plans, so timing could shift.

Buying Advice

If you're planning to pick up a ‌MacBook Pro‌ or an ‌iMac‌, it's probably worth waiting because of the refreshes coming as soon as late 2026. The ‌iMac‌ is two years old and got a price hike recently, so it's an especially bad deal.

‌OLED‌ touchscreen ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are likely to be even more expensive than the current models, so if you don't want to pay more for the new screen technology, it's an okay time to buy. It's probably best to hold off on an entry-level ‌MacBook Pro‌ until it's updated with the faster M6 chip.

‌Mac mini‌ and ‌Mac Studio‌ models have extended shipping times already, and if you don't need something imminently, it's probably better to wait for new chips. Other Macs aren't getting refreshed until 2027, so now is a good time to buy the ‌MacBook Neo‌ and the ‌MacBook Air‌.

For more on Apple's product plans, we have an upcoming products guide that is regularly updated.
This article, "Apple's 2026 and 2027 Mac Roadmap: Every Model and When It Ships" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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