Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL, XETRA:APC) is reportedly preparing to upend its long-standing iPhone launch playbook, with growing speculation that the company will not release a standard iPhone 18 model this year.
According to multiple reports, Apple plans to delay the launch of the iPhone 18 until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17, released in 2025, as the latest non-Pro model in the lineup for more than 18 months.
If confirmed, it would mark the first time Apple skips an entire calendar year without introducing a new generation of its flagship standard iPhone.
For more than a decade, Apple has unveiled its full iPhone lineup each September. That approach is now expected to change, with the company widely rumoured to split future releases across two windows. Higher-end models would continue to debut in the fall, while lower-cost and standard devices would follow the next year.
Under this revised strategy, Apple is not expected to ship the standard iPhone 18 in 2026. Instead, reports suggest the company will launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and its first foldable iPhone in the usual fall timeframe, while holding back the standard iPhone 18 until spring 2027. That launch would reportedly coincide with the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2.
The shift reflects Apple’s increasingly complex iPhone portfolio. With models such as the iPhone 16e, iPhone Air, legacy iPhone 16 variants and a foldable device expected by 2026, Apple could have as many as eight iPhone models on sale simultaneously. A staggered release schedule would allow clearer product differentiation and longer sales runways.