This year there won’t be an iPhone 18: what sources are saying and why there’s a catch

Apple has accustomed us for years to the launch of a new iPhone generation every September. However, 2026 could be different. Several sources, including the well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, agree that this year we won’t see a standard iPhone 18, although we will see other versions. The company would be considering adjusting its release calendar to give more prominence to the Pro models and its long-awaited foldable iPhone. So what will the calendar look like?

A schedule change like never before

For more than a decade, the release pattern was very clear: all the main iPhones arrived in September. Standard and Pro models shared the stage and, within a few weeks, were in stores. In 2026, by contrast, Apple plans to split its calendar into two different launch windows.

According to analysts, as reported by MacRumors, we will see the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first foldable iPhone this autumn, while the standard iPhone 18 will arrive in spring 2027, alongside the iPhone 18e and the new iPhone Air 2. During this interim period and until the next refresh the following spring, the current iPhone 17 will remain the standard model for more than 18 months, something that has never happened before.

The proposed adjustment has several advantages. Apple can offer a two-speed cycle, preventing the newest models from competing with each other in the first few months. In addition, the company achieves a less demanding pace for the supply chain, reducing production spikes and ensuring new devices arrive with enough inventory so that most purchases reach customers quickly.

Why is there a catch? An absence that actually multiplies the iPhone’s presence

A year without an iPhone—even if it’s only the entry-level model—sounds like a pause, but the truth is that the iPhone gains visibility because Apple turns the launch into a multi-act sequence—first the high end, then the mainstream range, and, in parallel, new formats. This makes the strategy stronger in three ways:

1. It boosts interest in the Pro range. By rolling out the red carpet in September for the most capable models, the media focus and the conversation revolve around cameras, chips, and specific features. That innovation spotlight carries over to the rest of the lineup, which months later inherits some of those improvements with an already established narrative and proven efficiency.
2. It clears the shelf for the standard model. By arriving in spring, the iPhone 18 with no extra surname lands without competing with the rest of the models. Marketing campaigns become more concentrated, availability improves, and the value message—battery life, main camera, performance—comes through more clearly.
3. It organizes prices and purchase timing. With two clear moments, if we’re after the latest in mobile photography and power, our appointment is in autumn, while if we prioritize balance between price and performance, in spring we find the launch that fits us.

From a brand perspective, the move also fits. Apple has spent years showing that the experience matters more than the calendar, and a two-phase plan lets each iPhone “speak” with its own script. The Pro story revolves around leading technologies, and the standard model’s story around reliability, longevity, and value.

We also have to add the foldable iPhone, probably the reason for this reshuffling of launches, and future models and variations that may arrive down the line. With three strong narratives, it’s more important than ever that they’re told without stepping on each other.

More models and a clearer strategy

Faced with an increasingly broad lineup, spacing out releases allows each model to have its own moment of attention, without one new announcement overshadowing another. If the rumors and predictions come true, the Pro iPhones will continue to be the focus of the autumn event, just ahead of the holiday season, while the standard models will have their space a few months later, arriving fresh for spring and summer.

The plan may sound forceful, and we’ll have to see whether it ends up becoming Apple’s move, but the idea makes a lot of sense. Apple turns an annual cycle into two distinct peaks, more clarity for the lineup and more value for each phone, all with a more efficient supply chain and a system that keeps the iPhone in the conversation consistently. If the plan is confirmed, the season ahead gives us a very interesting autumn at the high end and a spring 2027 full of surprises.