Khaberni - It is not expected that Apple will launch the standard iPhone 18 this year, according to an increasing number of reports that indicate that the company plans to make a major change in the annual iPhone launch cycle it has long followed.
Despite the spectacular success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until spring 2027, meaning the iPhone 17 will remain in the lineup as the latest standard model for over 18 months.
This will be the first time that "Apple" skips a full year without releasing a new generation of its standard non-professional phone, according to a report by the technology news site "MacRumors," reviewed by "Al Arabiya Business".
For more than a decade, "Apple" has been accustomed to launching its main iPhone lineup in the fall, where all the basic models are released simultaneously in September.
But this pattern is expected to change this year, as widespread rumors indicate that the company will split the releases of the upcoming iPhones into two separate periods instead of unveiling the entire lineup at once.
Under this strategy, it is expected that "Apple" will give priority in the fall to the higher-spec models, while delaying the launch of the less expensive or standard models to the following year.
As a result, it is not expected that "Apple" will launch the iPhone 18 in 2026. Instead, reports indicate that "Apple" plans to launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone at the usual time in the fall, with the release of the standard iPhone 18 postponed until spring 2027, where it will be launched concurrently with the iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2.
This rumored change is linked to the expansion of "Apple's" iPhone lineup. With the launch of iPhone16e and iPhone Air in 2025, and the anticipated appearance of the first foldable iPhone in 2026, and the continued presence of older models, the number of iPhone models available for sale from "Apple" would reach at least eight different models by the end of 2026.
The staggered release schedule will enable the company to further differentiate its models, give them a longer sales period without internal competition, and distribute the launch of iPhones more evenly throughout the year.
In addition to this, supply chain analysts have highlighted the benefits of manufacturing and logistics as a factor behind this expected shift. By distributing the launches, "Apple" can reduce production bottlenecks, manage supplies of components for advanced technologies better, and achieve smoother revenues over the fiscal seasons instead of concentrating iPhone sales in one period.
