New Apple Upgrade Program Lets You Lease an iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch

James Peckham· Jul 28, 2026 · 1:53 PM UTC ·3 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 2 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

If you don’t want to buy Apple gadgets outright, you can now lease an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.The new scheme, called Apple Upgrade, will let you pay a monthly fee to use devices for between 12 months and three years. These are all 24-month contracts with the lowest storage variants, while a 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max is the most expensive option at $83.35 a month for a year-long contract. The iPad mini on a 36-month contract is the cheapest tablet option at $11.99 per month, while an iPad Pro starts at $24.99 per month.

Key facts

▪If you don’t want to buy Apple gadgets outright, you can now lease an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.The new scheme, called Apple Upgrade, will let you pay a monthly fee to use devices for between 12 months and three years.
▪These are all 24-month contracts with the lowest storage variants, while a 2TB iPhone 17 Pro Max is the most expensive option at $83.35 a month for a year-long contract.
▪The iPad mini on a 36-month contract is the cheapest tablet option at $11.99 per month, while an iPad Pro starts at $24.99 per month.

How this story was covered

7 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 3 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.

Centre · 6

▪ Apple Upgrade Program Will Let You Lease an iPhone Without Sticker Shock — CNET
▪ Apple Will Now Let You Lease Your Next iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch — Lifehacker
▪ You can now lease an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch with Apple Upgrade — Digital Trends
▪ Apple Upgrade is a subscription program for the company's devices — Engadget
▪ Apple shuts down iPhone Upgrade Program, here’s what’s next — 9to5Mac
▪ Apple launches ‘Upgrade’ program to lease new devices — The Verge

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Original publisher	PCMag
Canonical URL	https://www.pcmag.com/news/new-apple-upgrade-program-lets-you-lease-an-iphone-mac-ipad-apple-watch
Publication time	Tue, 28 Jul 26 13:53:53 +0000
Retrieval time	2026-07-28T14:19:57.136Z
Last seen	2026-07-28T14:19:57.136Z
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

If you don’t want to buy Apple gadgets outright, you can now lease an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.The new scheme, called Apple Upgrade, will let you pay a monthly fee to use devices for between 12 months and three years. When you reach the end of your plan, you can end your subscription and keep your device by paying an additional purchase fee, leave the program and return the device, or upgrade to a newer model and begin a new lease.Apple's scheme is backed by payment provider Klarna and allows you to buy products through Apple’s online store, app, or in physical retail locations. iPhone and Apple Watch leasing periods are either 12 or 24 months, while products people upgrade less regularly, like Mac and iPad, are either 24 or 36 months.

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