Price Hike for sure! Not just for iPhone 17 but for it's upcoming line of products hereafter. Well this move is made in alignment with new features and glamorous design as sources claim.
Is Tariff War the Reason for Price Hike?

Well recently Apple saw a rise of 7% increase in it's shares. This is a very safe reason to justify the cost hike and dismiss the blames put on the tariffs thrown over at imports from the Chinese market.
Any Effect on the iPhone 17 Series?
Apple is all ready to announce the launch of the upcoming product iPhone 17 series, although not known when. The market does expect a significant price hike for the iPhone 17 and it will be the first among the upcoming products to experience this. The reason remains still unknown but rumours claim it to be the modifications and addition of several features. The amount of leaks doing round all over the internet signifies the craze for the phone to launch.

What Makes iPhone 17 the Much Awaited Model?
Apple has taken the camera game to a top notch level. With every new launch it gears up the lens quality and standard. This legacy will will for the iPhone 17 series and the future models as well.
Rumours or leaks whatever you call them claim about Apple incorporating a telephoto lens of 48MP in the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. This will make a significant difference from the iPhone 16 Pro camera of 12MP.

The selfie camera will also have an upgradation directly to the 24MP lens which at present is 12MP TrueDepth for the present iPhone 16 models. This enhancement will undoubtedly break the old and set next level standard for the photography and videography of any kind with iPhone 17. On the other hand this might explain the reason of price hike to the enthusiasts.
What Else to Notice?

Not just the camera, the company jumps up straight to 120Hz refresh rate from 60Hz refresh rate for the upcoming iPhone 17. The tech company along with it's price hike is also about to eliminate it's Plus range and fill up the blank space with the latest lightweight and reportedly thinnest model on Earth namely iPhone 17 Air.