Yes, there has been an occasional handset release in the spring. Sometimes there’s a new color variant, as with the alpine green iPhone 13 Pro or the purple iPhone 12, sometimes a budget model, the latest being the iPhone 16e. But this would be a much more significant release, signaling a big shift in the Apple schedule.
According to a report in the Korean newspaper ET-news, which was spotted by MacRumors, the base iPhone 18 model won’t make its debut in 2026. Instead it – and an affordable (by Apple’s standards, at least) iPhone 18e – will appear in the spring of 2027, some six months later.
At this stage, it is still a rumor but this isn’t the first time we’ve heard a staggered release strategy mentioned where future Apple phones are concerned. The Verge reported on it back in May. And it does make sense if it’s also true that Apple will be launching its first foldable next year.
Industry sources expect Apple’s inaugural book-style foldable to debut as part of the iPhone 18 lineup. If that’s the case, Apple may not want to dump the whole series of iPhones onto the market at once. The brand could well have have six variants of one generation available: iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18e, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone 18 Fold.
Instead, the September event will showcase the high-end models, with the cheaper (again, this is relative) models available later on. This change may already have been heralded by the fact that this year’s expected iPhone SE 4 was replaced by the iPhone 16e – whose name makes it clear that it’s part of the current iPhone lineup, which launched in September 2024.
Not only will this launch strategy mean that Apple gets two bites of the cherry (if that’s not too many fruit references) where sales and media attention are concerned, it also means that anyone wanting to be among the first to get the latest iPhone will have no choice but to opt for a pricier model. And tech journalists worldwide will be relieved at not having to sit through an extended keynote, plus reporting on and reviewing six models at the same time.
Should you be taking all of this with a generous portion of salt? ET-News does have a mixed history when it comes to predictions about upcoming Apple products, having claimed in early 2024 that an Apple ring was imminent. However, it’s not the only publication to voice this rumor, and it’s not the only time we’ve heard it.
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This article originally appeared on our sister publication Macwelt and was translated and adapted from German.
