00:00What if I told you there won't be an iPhone 18 in 2026?
00:03If the latest rumours are true, Apple will release new iPhones in September this year,
00:06as it does every year, but for the first time since 2016, it looks like the company will
00:10be hosting two separate in-person launch events for its next smartphone line-up.
00:13The first, in September, will likely be focused on the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and possibly
00:18even the foldable iPhone Ultra, while the second could take place in Spring 2027 and
00:22looks set to focus on the regular iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18e.
00:25From now on then, Apple could essentially be splitting its iPhone launches into premium
00:29and affordable categories, with the pricier Pro and Ultra models arriving six months before
00:32the cheaper base model and iPhone E in any given year.
00:35That strategy does get a bit muddled by the iPhone Air 2, which, if it does ever get released,
00:39is rumoured to drop alongside the iPhone 18 and 18e in Spring next year.
00:43But the fact remains that we're likely to see September reserved for Apple's Pro and
00:46foldable models moving forward, with everything else coming the following year.
00:50As for why Apple is potentially ripping up its tried and tested release plans, we don't
00:53have any official answers, but we can, of course, speculate as to the reasons for the change.
00:57Firstly, almost every other smartphone manufacturer already staggers its smartphone launches.
01:01Samsung, for instance, has long hosted separate launch events for its Galaxy S and Z-Series phones,
01:05just as Google regularly launches its A-Series Pixel phones around six months after its mainline models.
01:10Having two separate iPhone launch events means Apple can target two different types of consumer
01:13more effectively and keep momentum for the iPhone going throughout the year,
01:17rather than enjoying one big splash of publicity every September.
01:19Secondly, the base iPhone 17 is selling very, very well. It's the best-selling phone of 2026 so far,
01:25and with rumours swirling that Apple is planning on downgrading the iPhone 18 to cut costs,
01:29it makes sense to extend the shelf life of the iPhone 17 as much as possible.
01:32That cost-cutting strategy is also key to understanding why Apple could be about to mix
01:36up its release schedule.
01:37Prolific leakers have suggested that Apple will bring certain manufacturing downgrades to the
01:40iPhone 18 to better align it with the iPhone 18e from a supply chain level,
01:44at least to a greater degree than the iPhone 17 and 17e are currently.
01:48In other words, the iPhone 18 could be a worse phone than the iPhone 17.
01:51But Apple is deliberately repositioning its base model as a stablemate of the E-line,
01:55rather than the Pro-line.
01:56It also makes sense that all of this could kick off under the tenure of new CEO John Turnus.
02:00Apple has probably been planning an iPhone strategy shakeup for some time now,
02:03but it makes sense that Turnus should be the one to introduce a new type of iPhone
02:06in the iPhone Ultra and a new type of base model in the iPhone 18.
02:09What do you think? Is Apple right to mess with its winning formula,
02:12or would you rather keep seeing one big iPhone event every year?
02:14Let us know in the comments below, or better yet,
02:16head over to the TechRadar site and become a member.
