Apple reworks iPhone release schedule: not everything in September anymore
Currently, most iPhones are released in the fall, with an entry-level device occasionally appearing in the spring. According to a report, changes are coming.
Apple's iPhone Air still traditionally arrived in September.
(Image: heise medien / Sebastian Trepesch)
Apple will no longer introduce its iPhones in an annual autumn cycle, but at different times throughout the year. This is what Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has learned from insiders. In his newsletter from Sunday, he writes that Apple wants to avoid “stuffing so many products into the same time period.” This could also help distribute sales revenue better over the year. Similar rumors have already circulated. Apple once unveiled the new iPhone—at the time, it was always just one model variant—in the summer. With the iPhone 5, the date then moved to September. Now, according to Gurman, there will be a new semi-annual cycle.
Five to six iPhones per year
The plan is to introduce high-end models in the fall as usual, with other variants following approximately six months later, in February or March. In the upcoming cycle, this would be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first iPhone foldable in September 2026, followed by the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e (new entry-level model), and possibly an iPhone Air 2 in spring 2027. Gurman expects the rhythm to be maintained “for the coming years” and for Apple to release “between five and six new models” per year.
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Regarding the iPhone Air 2, Gurman has heard that it was not originally planned for fall 2026—so Apple is not reacting to below-average sales with a possible postponement to spring 2027. Instead, the date has already moved to spring 2027 in recent months. The name was chosen for this reason (i.e., “iPhone Air” instead of “iPhone 17 Air”) so that it would not have to be released in the same cycle as the annual models.
New details on the new Air
According to Gurman, the second Air will feature a new, faster, and, above all, more efficient 2-nanometer chip, which will help extend battery life. However, it is unclear whether a second camera will actually be integrated into the camera platform. The Air was overall a “technology exercise” that Apple carried out in preparation for the iPhone foldable—for example, in material selection and component miniaturization.
Meanwhile, Apple's software also seems to be leaning towards a semi-annual cycle: in spring, among other things, then finally smarter Siri is expected, after iOS 26 itself was released in September.
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