Buy a new iPhone 17 or invest in Apple shares — what pays off more?

Dubai: Apple’s iPhone 17 has officially landed. Shoppers are already lining up at malls and refreshing online carts, ready to drop around $999 (Dh3,670) on the latest must-have device. Sleek, powerful, and instantly Instagrammable.

But here’s a question that might sting a little: What if, instead of buying every shiny new iPhone over the years, you had bought Apple stock instead? The numbers will make you wish you had.

Cast your mind back to 2007, when Apple launched the very first iPhone at $499 (Dh1,830). At that time, Apple stock was trading at just $4.36 (Dh16) per share.

Skip the phone, buy the stock, and your $499 (Dh1,830) would have bagged you about 114 shares. Fast forward to September 2025, with Apple stock hovering at $236 (Dh867), that initial outlay is now worth roughly $26,904 (Dh98,600).

That’s the kind of return that could pay a year’s school fees — or buy multiple new iPhones every single year for the next decade.

Meanwhile, that original iPhone you may have proudly unboxed? Unless you kept it sealed in its box, it’s now worth little more than a nostalgia piece.

Apple has steadily nudged prices higher with each release, and tech-savvy fans have kept paying up. Here’s how the base model has climbed:

Every upgrade followed the same cycle: excitement, unboxing, showing it off — and then watching resale values drop like your battery on a long-haul flight.

While customers splurged on upgrades, Apple shareholders quietly cashed in. The company pulled off two stock splits — 7-for-1 in 2014 and 4-for-1 in 2020 — multiplying the number of shares held by early investors.

For those who invested early, the payoff has been extraordinary. A single decision to buy shares instead of a phone in 2007 would today be worth nearly Dh100,000. That’s enough for a new car or a luxury island holiday.

This isn’t about ditching your iPhone. It’s an essential tool for WhatsApp, payments, selfies, and scanning QR codes at restaurants.

But it is about recognising the difference between a consumption purchase and an investment purchase.

So, as the iPhone 17 arrives in stores across the UAE, ask yourself: do you want instant gratification, or long-term gains?

Would you rather flex the latest iPhone today — or quietly watch your money grow into six figures tomorrow?

The next time you walk past the glowing Apple Store, remember: the smartest buy might not be inside the store — it might be the stock ticker outside it.