Key takeaways
- Features: Much like with the iPhone 18 Pro, the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup could have a smaller Dynamic Island.
- Price: Seeing as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo debuted to rather steep prices, the other iPhone 18 models could get a price increase too due to component shortages and other world events.
- Release date: While Apple released the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the Duo in the fall of 2026, the company is widely expected to unveil the rest of the iPhone 18 lineup in spring 2027.
Apple has recently released the iPhone 18 Pro, the 18 Pro Max and announced the foldable iPhone Duo that’s going on sale Oct. 23. As expected, the 18 Pro has a smaller Dynamic Island, a new variable aperture and a slightly higher price than its predecessor. The Duo also made headlines as the company’s first foldable, with its passport-style design and unique features like a matte finish main display and Apple Pencil support. Seeing as both Samsung and Google have released updates to their foldable phones recently (the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Fold 8 Ultra and the Pixel 11 Fold Pro), 2026 is turning out to be quite the banner year for foldable phones.
However, Apple isn’t done launching new iPhones just yet. The company is widely expected to release the base iPhone 18, the iPhone 18E and possibly a new iPhone Air 2 in spring 2027. Since the iPhone 18 Pro and Duo are Apple’s premium devices, the spring event could be skewed toward the lower-cost side of the iPhone lineup. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Seeing as the iPhone 17 series impressed us with its surprisingly feature-packed base model in addition to the slender iPhone Air, the simpler iPhone 18 models could surprise us. Plus, if the premium models were a little too expensive for your blood, waiting a few more months for a (hopefully) more affordable iPhone 18 or 18E is probably a wise move.
The company is only a year or so away from the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone’s launch. While the tech giant sells more phones in the US than rival Android phones, Apple is consistently behind Samsung in global sales and just ahead of Chinese phone-makers such as Xiaomi. A lot is at stake for Apple with the next iPhone.
Here’s a look at all the rumors and leaks we’ve uncovered about the rest of the upcoming iPhone 18 lineup.
Latest rumors
iPhone 18 design differences
In addition to the iPhone 18 Pro, the 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo, we’re hearing there’ll likely be a base iPhone 18, plus the iPhone 18E. Designs for the iPhone tend to remain the same year after year, and current rumors suggest this trend will continue. Seeing as the iPhone 18 Pro didn’t really change too much in terms of design, we’re guessing the same will hold true for the iPhone 18 and 18E, respectively.
That will likely mean a 6.3-inch display for the iPhone 18 and a slightly smaller 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 18E, matching the 17 and 17E, respectively. A Weibo tipster also appears to hint that Apple’s brightness requirements are demanding, which might result in OLED supply issues. This leads some to suspect it has a much brighter screen. The base iPhone 18 is also rumored to have a smaller camera bump compared to its predecessor.
iPhone Air 2 rumors
There have been some conflicting rumors on whether we’ll see an iPhone Air 2. A report from The Information says the release is being delayed, perhaps due to disappointing iPhone Air sales last year. There are also those who say that Apple will still release an Air successor eventually, though it might be in 2027 rather than 2026. Since the Air was reportedly a bit of a sales flop, we wouldn’t be too surprised if Apple chose not to make a skinny phone sequel.
Recently, leaker Jon Prosser reported that the iPhone Air 2 could have a second 48-megapixel ultrawide camera. Seeing as one of the biggest criticisms against the iPhone Air was its single wide camera, this could be welcome news. The iPhone Air 2’s Face ID unit may be redesigned to accommodate the second camera. Prosser also said that it could have improved battery life, a similar titanium design as the first Air and come in a lavender model.
Analyst Jeff Pu said in a research note with GF Securities that the iPhone Air 2 will have the aforementioned second 48-megapixel camera as well as a smaller Dynamic Island, a faster and more efficient A20 Pro chip, a second-generation N2 chip for wireless networking and a second-generation C2 chip for 5G. Pu adds that he expects the iPhone Air 2 will have the same 6.5-inch display, 12GB of RAM and an 18-megapixel selfie camera
New cameras on iPhone 18
The iPhone’s cameras are another feature that may receive an upgrade in 2026. While the iPhone 18 Pro now has a variable aperture camera that excels in low light, we don’t anticipate that to be a feature in the base model. Still, MacRumors reports that all iPhone 18 models (except the 18E) would get upgraded 24-megapixel front-facing cameras for improved selfies. We should note that the iPhone 17 series and up all have Apple’s new Center Stage selfie camera, which has a square 18-megapixel sensor and can take either horizontal or vertical photos, no matter which way you’re holding the phone.
There is also some speculation that the iPhone’s Camera Control button could be simplified. Instead of capacitive and pressure sensors, it might just be pressure-sensing for all of the Camera Control’s functions.
Updated A20 chip and iPhone 18 specs
As the iPhone 18 Pro uses Apple’s new A20 Pro processor, it makes sense that the iPhone 18 would use the new A20 processor. The chips are made using a new process called Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, which incorporates the RAM directly into the same wafer as the CPU, GPU and neural engine. This results in better efficiency and faster performance because everything would be located on the same chip. It also uses TSMC’s 2-nanometer process.
Like with the iPhone 18 Pro, the base iPhone 18 could use Apple’s next-gen C2 modem chip for improved wireless connectivity. That said, a rumor on Weibo suggests that the iPhone 18’s specs could be “downgraded” to align more closely with an iPhone 18E model. That could also be more focused on reducing back-end production costs.
MacRumors recently reported that the iPhone 18 could have 12GB of RAM, citing a research note from analyst Jeff Pu. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, on the other hand, has reported that Apple’s lower-end phones like the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18E could have 9GB instead (1 higher than the 8GB currently on the iPhone 17 and 17E), perhaps due to the current high cost of RAM. Kuo appears to indicate that 9GB could be sufficient to handle all the new AI capabilities of iOS 27.
Although this is not exclusive to the iPhone 18, Apple also recently announced that Google’s Gemini will be running its AI-powered Siri later this year.
Yep, it looks like prices are going up
The iPhone 17, 17E and iPhone Air all received $100 price increases in September to $929, $699 and $1,099, respectively. And it’s unlikely that those prices will get any lower should a base iPhone 18, 18E and Air sequel come around.
Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook sent up a warning flare in June that the company would be increasing prices due to the “RAMageddon” component shortage and, sure enough, the next week prices jumped on Mac, iPad, HomePod and Apple TV models.
The pattern continued with the $1,199 iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 iPhone 18 Pro Max, which is a $100 price increase over the 17 Pro and Pro Max phones. The foldable iPhone Duo also debuted at a pretty steep starting price of $1,999. Based on this trend, it seems pretty likely that the iPhone 18 and 18E could match the current price of the iPhone 17 and 17E.
iPhone 18 release date
Bloomberg has reported that Apple plans to release the more affordable iPhone 18 and iPhone 18E (and maybe a potential iPhone Air 2) in February or March 2027.
Seeing as Apple has released the iPhone 16E and 17E in the spring of 2025 and 2026, that’s not a surprising development. It does mean, however, that if you’re holding out for a more affordable iPhone, you could have to wait until next year to plan your purchase.
This story will continue updating as we get closer to Apple’s spring event.
