Every year, in the first half of September, we get new iPhones.
Aside for the occasional out-of-schedule launch of a low-cost model — the iPhone 16e launched last February, for example — since 2013, Apple’s been launching its flagship smartphone in the fall, and only in the fall.
This might change soon. According to a new report by The Information (via Engadget), Apple is planning to change its launch schedule for the iPhone, starting in 2026. Instead of launching all of its flagships in the fall, the company will start releasing the Pro models in the fall, while the standard iPhones launch in the spring.
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Apple is reportedly doing this to accommodate for new models entering the lineup, including the rumored foldable iPhone, and the iPhone Air, which is rumored to debut this year alongside the other models in the fall.
In practice, this could mean we’ll get the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and a foldable iPhone in the fall of 2026, followed by the iPhone 18, the iPhone 18 Air and (perhaps) the iPhone 18e in the spring of 2027.
The Information’s report also shared a few new details about Apple’s upcoming iPhones. For this year’s iPhone 17 Air, it will allegedly have worse battery life than regular models (due to its thinness), which Apple plans to mitigate by releasing an optional battery case.
As for the iPhone 18 models, the report claims that the Pro and the Pro Max models will have an under-the-display Face ID tech, with only a small, circular cut-out for the front-facing camera in the upper left corner of the screen. We’ve heard similar reports before, though it’s unclear what this would mean for Apple’s Dynamic Island. Furthermore, The Information claims that in 2027, Apple plans to launch an all-screen iPhone, which wouldn’t have any sort of camera or Face ID cutout on the front.
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None of this is official, so take the report — especially the parts that talk about distant future — with a big grain of salt.
UPDATE: May. 5, 2025, 2:23 p.m. CEST Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also shared his prediction of what Apple’s iPhone launch might look in the next two years.
The schedule is as follows:
• 2H25: iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Slim (or Air), iPhone 17
• 1H26: iPhone 17e
• 2H26: iPhone Foldable, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Slim
• 1H27: iPhone 18, iPhone 18e
• 2H27: iPhone Foldable 2, iPhone 19 Pro Max, iPhone 19 Pro, iPhone 19 Slim (or Air)
Note that Kuo predicts that Apple will launch its second foldable iPhone in the second half of 2027; he says the development of that device is already underway. He also claims that the iPhone 19 Slim (or Air) will have a larger display than its predecessor.
Kuo says that Apple is looking to switch to a staggered iPhone launch due to intense competition, particularly in China. By splitting the iPhone launch into two dates, Apple could close the “marketing gap” that arises from other companies’ more frequent launches.
