Apple could be preparing a major change to its usual iPhone launch schedule this year. While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to appear at the September event, the standard iPhone 18 may not arrive until early 2027.
iPhone 18 launch could happen in 2 phases
Apple has traditionally introduced its standard, Pro and Pro Max iPhone models together in September. This year, reports suggest the company could divide the iPhone 18 lineup into 2 launches.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are expected to debut in September alongside Apple’s first foldable iPhone, which could carry the iPhone Ultra name.
The standard iPhone 18 could instead launch with the iPhone 18e in early 2027, possibly by March. Apple launched the iPhone 16e in February, followed by the iPhone 17e in March.
If this timeline is accurate, buyers looking for the next-generation iPhone without paying the expected premium for the Pro or Ultra models may have to wait several months longer than usual. The exact reason for the reported change remains unclear.
Expected iPhone 18 Pro Max features
Reports suggest the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e could feature 9GB of RAM, up from 8GB on the current iPhone 17 and iPhone 17e. The extra memory could support smoother performance as iOS 27 brings deeper system-level integration with Apple Intelligence.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max could feature a 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. It may also include Ceramic Shield 2, an anti-reflective coating and a Dynamic Island that is around 1/3 smaller.
The device is tipped to use Apple’s A20 Pro chipset based on TSMC’s 2nm process, paired with a hexa-core CPU and an 8-core Apple GPU.
For photography, it could feature a 48-megapixel main camera with a variable f/1.6 to f/4.0 aperture, a 48-megapixel 4x periscope telephoto camera and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera.
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