There may not be a new iPhone 18 this year, various reports have suggested.
Apple is widely expected to hold its usual September launch event in 2026. But it will focus on updates to the higher-end Pro models as well as an even more expensive Ultra version, according to rumours.
The updated version of the base model of the phone – the plain iPhone 18 – could then not arrive until spring of next year.
Apple has long been rumoured to be changing the release schedule of its devices. But the specific timetable has been given new credence by a new report in Taiwan’s Economic Daily News.
That reported cited an earnings call from Apple supplier Pegatron, a Taiwanese electronic manufacturer. It said that executives had said that the iPhone 18 Pro series will be updated in the autumn, but that the base model would not arrive until the first quarter of next year.
An updated version of the iPhone Air will arrive at the same time, along with a new iPhone 18e. Apple released the 17e – a cheaper version of the phone, with limitations including a slower processor and a simpler camera system – in March of this year, in what was thought to be a preview of a new, staggered release for the phones.
Instead of those cheaper models, Apple’s September launch event is thought to bring the iPhone 18 Pro and the first ever “Ultra” version of the iPhone. That is widely rumoured to be Apple’s first foldable device, and could be dramatically more expensive than any iPhone made before.
Apple has long been rumoured to have been changing its iPhone release schedule to delay the launch of the base phones until later in the year. But the plan may have become even more useful in recent months, as a chip shortage has gripped the industry.
The company said in its most recent earnings call that it was struggling to buy enough chips to meet demand for its current phone line-up. And the increase in prices for the chips – the result of the AI industry’s demand for the same chips – led it to increase the price of devices including iPads and Macs earlier this year.
