Is this the most expensive iPhone ever?

(Image credit: Apple)

published 18 July 2023

If you thought the Apple Vision Pro was expensive, or even the $40,000 Caviar version was excessive then hold up a minute. One iPhone has just made them look like chump change with a $190,000 price tag.

You might be wondering what makes it so expensive, is it diamond encrusted? Does it have any super special features? Nope, it is in fact just an original iPhone and not even the top-spec model.

Apple has always made highly desirable products but this mint-in-box first edition of the limited 4GB model (4GB!) was clearly highly sought after. 28 bids were lodged at a US auction as the phone fetched over 400 times its original price. In fact, a similar first edition, sealed, 8GB model went earlier this year for a measly $63,000 at auction.

Of course, chances are that the new owner of the iPhone won't be using it every day either, and not just to protect its value. A 2MP camera and 320 x 480 resolution display sounds almost cute in today's market and obviously, the original iPhone can't compare to the best phones today but at the time it felt like a true game changer. Pretty much every phone out today, Android and iOS, owes a debt and takes inspiration from the original iPhone.

It might seem a bit scary that a phone released in 2007 now qualifies as a collector's item, but considering we're now on the iPhone 14 (with the iPhone 15 surely arriving this year) we have come a long way, even though there have been some constants. Every iPhone so far has been released with Apple's own connectors (but that looks set to change finally) and they've all been inspired by the original's classic design.

This shows just how powerful having an 'iPhone moment' can be and who knows, maybe in 15 years' time we'll have a similar sense of nostalgia for the Google Pixel or the Vision Pro.

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Andy was T3's Tech Staff Writer, covering all things technology, including his biggest passions such as gaming. If he had to save one possession from a fire it would be his PlayStation 5. He previously worked for Tom’s Guide – where he got paid to play with ChatGPT everyday. When it comes to streaming, Andy will have his headphones glued in whilst watching something that will make him laugh. He studied Creative Writing at university, but also enjoys supporting his favourite football team (Liverpool), watching F1, teaching himself guitar, and spending time with his dog.