The past few years have witnessed Apple adopt a typical launch timeline where it would unveil four top-end models targeting different pricing brackets. For 2026, the Cupertino firm is reported to take a different route, where the base model may not even be a part of the family. Additionally, there are expected to be a multitude of changes and upgrades that we should look forward to, so if you haven’t picked up an iPhone 17 model this year and are patiently waiting for next year, here is our rumor roundup that covers everything you wanted to learn about the iPhone 18 series.
Will we witness a shake-up launch next year? How many iPhone 18 models are arriving in 2026?
As mentioned above, the base model might not launch next year, with Apple announcing just three flagships; the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold. Based on this launch schedule, the base iPhone 18, which, according to an Omdia senior researcher, will be called the iPhone 20 instead, is expected to find a place alongside the iPhone 18e in early 2027.
As for the iPhone Air 2 successor, due to virtually no demand for the first-generation iPhone Air, Apple is said to delay its upcoming sleek flagship to 2027. Assuming the technology giant maintains the same prices as this year, the iPhone 18 series could start from an expensive $1,099, but these high figures should matter little because Apple’s premium models have always made up the bulk of its annual shipments.
Only this time, we will be greeted by the world’s first foldable iPhone, and based on its pricing estimates, the iPhone 18 Pro will appear like a value-oriented product. Fortunately, the arrival of the newer models should make the iPhone 17 a more salivating alternative, and it shouldn’t be surprising that carriers and online retailers start offering the latter at insanely attractive discounts.
Design and display
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are rumored to retain the same display sizes as their immediate predecessors, the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, with tipster Digital Chat Station claiming that both flagships will ship with a punch-hole front-facing camera instead of a pill-shaped cutout, with a different tipster called Smart Pikachu saying that Face ID components will be embedded underneath the OLED panel as the new lineup will be undergoing testing soon.
The same tipster also mentions that these devices will sport a slightly transparent rear glass, with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max featuring vapor chamber cooling to effectively dissipate heat. There was also a third claim from this person, stating that these handsets will ditch the rear two-tone aesthetic and switch to a more uniform paint job. As for the dimensions, only the iPhone 18 Pro Max has been tipped to be thicker and heavier than any iPhone released before it. Also, the iPhone 18 Pro duo are expected to debut with a "deep red" color option, and might sport purple and brown color hues as well.
This change suggests that Apple could incorporate a beefier cooling solution and a potentially bigger battery than the unit present in the iPhone 17 Pro Max. While this means a higher endurance rating for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, it will be at the expense of your arm getting tired faster. Apple is also exploring ‘High Mobility Oxide’ (HMO) display technology, which will serve as the successor to LTPO OLED panels.
Samsung has been reported to begin mass production sometime in 2026, with these displays reducing power consumption while also being less expensive to manufacture. Sadly, there is no indication of whether these panels will be adopted by the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Other rumored iPhone 18 hardware specifications
The most notable internal upgrades arriving to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are Apple’s A20 and A20 Pro chipsets. These will be the company’s first 2nm SoCs, though it is likely that only the A20 Pro will launch next year for the three flagships, with the A20 being reserved for the iPhone 20 in 2027. Given that Apple launched three A19 chipsets this year, we’re inclined to believe that it will retain this practice in 2026, with the following configurations expected to be present in each iPhone.
- iPhone 18 Pro - A20 Pro (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 5-core GPU)
- iPhone 18 Pro Max - A20 Pro (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 6-core GPU)
- iPhone Fold - A20 Pro (2 performance cores, 4 efficiency cores, 6-core GPU)
This could be the first time that Apple introduces a lower-binned A20 Pro to the iPhone 18 Pro, with the most premium members shipping with the fastest variant. Other internals can include the newer C2 5G modem, whose development started earlier this year and could be Apple’s first baseband chip to support mmWave networks. However, unlike the A20 and A20 Pro, the C2 is reported to be mass produced on TSMC’s older 4nm process. Next, we have the N2 wireless networking chip, though analyst Jeff Pu didn’t mention what improvements we should look forward to.
As for the memory, Apple is not rumored to adopt LPDDR6 RAM, leaving it an entire generation behind Qualcomm, which is said to adopt this standard for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. However, the company could switch to six-channel LPDDR5X memory, resulting in higher bandwidth and performance, both of which will be necessary for boosting on-device AI capabilities.
As for the RAM count, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that if Apple can resolve the chip shortage problem, all iPhone 18 models could ship with 12GB memory as standard.
Camera
Tetraprism zoom capabilities debuted in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, with Apple slowly introducing more and more camera features to the lineup. Variable aperture is the next addition that is rumored to arrive exclusively to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. This technology will adjust the aperture values depending on the surrounding light, with a separate rumor claiming that the 48MP telephoto camera will also be treated to a wider aperture.
Given that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have an F/2.2 aperture for the telephoto unit, an F/2.0 aperture could be targeted for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple is also rumored to be exploring a 100MP in-house sensor with a Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor (LOFIC), but it is not expected to debut in next year’s models.
Battery
There’s no word on the battery capacity for either the iPhone 18 Pro, but the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s increase in thickness and weight will not be without reason. According to Digital Chat Station, the top-end model will have an even bigger battery than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, with the capacities for the eSIM and non-eSIM versions listed below.
- iPhone 17 Pro Max - 4,823mAh (non-eSIM version), 5,088mAh (eSIM version)
- iPhone 18 Pro Max non-eSIM version - 5,000mAh+ (3.67 percent bigger than non-eSIM iPhone 17 Pro Max)
- iPhone 18 Pro Max eSIM version - 5,100mAh-5,200mAh+ (up to 2.20 percent bigger than eSIM iPhone 17 Pro Max)
The iPhone Fold is rumored to be tested with a capacity in the 5,400-5,800mAh range, so there’s a possibility that Apple brings larger batteries to the entire lineup. As for silicon-carbon technology, we don’t believe the trillion-dollar firm is willing to take that bet yet.
Price
The estimates for the newest lineup cover the iPhone Fold only, but given that Apple just introduced a price bump to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the iPhone 18 could start from $1,099. Then again, looking at the ongoing memory shortage, there’s a small chance that Apple may make the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max more expensive. Fortunately, we mentioned that the company’s aggressive stance on making its in-house chips should help it save millions to offset any memory price increases.
Release Date
Every year for the past several years, Apple has consistently held its iPhone launch event in September. We don’t see that changing, but we should expect the base iPhone 18 to be excluded from the announcements, as it could materialize as the iPhone 20 in the first quarter of 2027. According to Weibo tipster Fixed-focus digital cameras, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max entered trial production in February, with another rumor claiming that both of these flagships and the iPhone Fold will undergo full-scale manufacturing in July.
