Apple is expected to delay the launch of its base iPhone 18 model until spring 2027, marking a major shift in the company's long-established release cycle, according to South Korea's ETNews.

The report claims that Apple has informed some of its suppliers that the ‌iPhone 18‌ will not be part of the September 2026 iPhone lineup. Instead, the company will unveil only higher-end models in the fall of that year, with the base ‌iPhone‌ and its entry-level counterpart, the "‌iPhone‌ 18e," scheduled for release the following March. ETNews attributes this information to industry officials who said Apple has already begun communicating the revised plan to its component and materials partners.

The practical effect of the new schedule is that consumers looking for a new ‌iPhone‌ in fall 2026 will only be able to choose from high-end options. The entry-level ‌iPhone‌ and standard base model will not be available until about six months later.

The decision would represent the first time since the ‌iPhone‌'s 2007 debut that Apple has excluded a "standard" model from its annual fall launch. The shift appears tied to the introduction of Apple's first foldable ‌iPhone‌, which is expected to join the fall 2026 slate as a flagship device positioned alongside the ‌iPhone 18‌ Air, ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro, and ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max.

Apple's new release strategy involves dividing the ‌iPhone‌ release cycle into two distinct phases: premium devices in the second half of the year and lower-priced models in the first half. This restructuring has already begun; earlier this year Apple launched the iPhone 16e, which replaced the SE line as the company's dedicated entry-level ‌iPhone‌. Unlike the SE, which carried a separate designation, the e-series ties directly to Apple's main lineup by carrying the previous year's number.

Both The Information and Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in May that Apple was considering moving to a biannual schedule to help sustain sales throughout the calendar year. By staging new device launches in both March and September, Apple could avoid the concentrated sales pattern that typically peaks in the fourth quarter following its September events and tap into periods that historically see weaker consumer demand.

This year's iPhone 17 series will be the last to follow Apple's traditional release structure. The lineup is expected to consist of the ‌iPhone 17‌, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, with the ‌iPhone‌ 17e following in March 2026. For September 2026, Apple will introduce four premium models: the ‌iPhone 18‌ Air, ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro, ‌iPhone 18‌ Pro Max, and the first foldable ‌iPhone‌. The ‌iPhone 18‌ and ‌iPhone‌ 18e will then arrive in March 2027.

By 2027, Apple's lineup will likely expand to six new iPhones per year, with the possibility of as many as 10 models available if Apple continues its practice of keeping earlier generations on sale at reduced prices.

Source: Macrumors