iPhone speculation for 2026 and 2027: 17e and 18 are planned then
After the four 17-series iPhones in September, Apple is continuing the cell phone series with further models. There are new rumors about the 17e and 18 variants
Blurred iPhone: What's next for Apple in the coming years?
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch/Mac & i)
What will Apple do with the iPhone now that the company has presented its (presumably four) 17-series models next month? There is now new information on two affordable iPhones from South Korea and China. One is rather positive, the other rather negative – at least for fans of the series.
The end of the notch at Apple is coming
The good news: Apple will reportedly launch a successor to the iPhone 16e (released in February 2025) on the market this spring. The Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station, which has plenty of followers on the short messaging service Weibo, claims that Apple will significantly improve the device. Instead of being based on the iPhone 14 on the outside, the design will be newer.
For the first time, no "notch" is planned for the Face ID module as in the 16e, but a fully-fledged Dynamic Island to accommodate additional information. The look could therefore be based on the iPhone 15. Apple is also said to be using the A19 chip, which is expected in the iPhone 17. Further hardware information according to Digital Chat Station: a 6.1-inch display (like standard iPhone models and the 16e), no ProMotion technology (i.e. 60 hertz instead of 120), a 12-megapixel selfie camera, and a 48-megapixel rear camera (both like the 16e). The main selling point remains the low(er) price. In Germany, this starts at 699 euros for the iPhone 16e. An iPhone 16 costs at least 949 euros.
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iPhone 18: Waiting for the year after next
The second fresh iPhone rumor concerns the iPhone 18, another device that will follow the 17 models. The electronics trade journal ETNews, which is published in South Korea, writes that the standard version will not be released until the first half of 2027. There had already been speculation about this in the past. ETNews is now relying on Apple's supplier circles, of which there are several in South Korea. The component manufacturers have allegedly already been told that this change will take place. Accordingly, Apple will initially launch four iPhone models on the market in fall 2026, one of which will be a foldable for the first time.
This means that Apple no longer has room for the iPhone 18, as no more than four models are to be presented. In addition to the foldable smartphone from Apple, this would then be an iPhone 18 Air (thin model), iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The iPhone 18 as the standard model plus a new entry-level model (18e) could then be expected in spring 2027. This would mean that there would be more current iPhones on the market in the year after next than ever before – a total of six models.
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