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Apple Skipping iPhone 18 Launch This Year

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Apple supplier Pegatron today indirectly confirmed that the standard iPhone 18 model will not be released until next year, according to a new report.

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Pegatron held an earnings call for the second quarter of 2026 today. On the call, Taiwan's Economic Daily News said Pegatron indicated that one of its customers will be changing its usual smartphone shipment schedule. As widely expected, the report said Apple plans to release the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a foldable "iPhone Ultra" this September, followed by the standard iPhone 18 model in the first quarter of 2027.

The standard iPhone 11 through to the iPhone 17 all launched alongside Pro and Pro Max models in September over the years, so the launch of the base model iPhone 18 being postponed until around March 2027 would be a notable change.

Apple's plans to split up the launch of the iPhone 18 series has already been widely rumored by sources such as Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, former The Information reporter Wayne Ma, and others over the past year. Apple supplier Largan Precision also hinted at the change in a similarly indirect way earlier this year.

A lower-end iPhone 18e and an iPhone Air 2 are also expected to be released around March 2027.

In total, six new iPhone models are slated to launch by the end of March:

  • iPhone 18 Pro: September 2026
  • iPhone 18 Pro Max: September 2026
  • iPhone Ultra: September 2026
  • iPhone 18: March 2027
  • iPhone 18e: March 2027
  • iPhone Air 2: March 2027
Related Roundups: iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro
Tag: Economic Daily News
Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

jsavvy Avatar
jsavvy
3 weeks ago
I get the strategy…I just don’t like. I hope it doesn’t work out.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antonrg Avatar
antonrg
3 weeks ago
Well, they can do this all they want, not everyone can or want to purchase a 1K€ phone. So those people will just skip this. And frankly, in today's economy buying a super expensive phone (even on instalments) is not as easy as before.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
I7guy Avatar
I7guy
3 weeks ago
Okay, the higher margined iPhones get released first. Can’t fault Apple for that strategy.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nugget Avatar
Nugget
3 weeks ago
I think this is a great move. The historical strategy of trying to release all their various phone models all on the same day is a logistics nightmare and makes it more difficult for Apple to justify the existence of niche-market phones like the Air, Mini, and rumored Ultra.

There's no immutable law of the universe that says that Apple must release all their phone models on the same day. The market will adapt and I think it will be a healthier release tempo for the products, the company, and consumers.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C
CarAnalogy
3 weeks ago

I get the strategy…I just don’t like. I hope it doesn’t work out.

It makes sense, but feels like it is going to be strange at the actual 18 launch since the general public will think the 18 has already launched because of the 18 Pro.
The general "standard" iPhone buying user doesn't even know what two digit number their phone is exactly anymore. They just go to their cellular provider when the battery starts wearing out/they start seeing "free" upgrade promotions.

The base 17 is already so good, I can't really think of anything I'd really want to see from the 18. Year over year upgrades are now as boring on phones as they are on computers. I'm frankly surprised they're still updating the Pro every single year. They almost have too many iPhones now.

The real enthusiasts are buying the Pros anyway so nothing changes. Anyone who doesn't have a 17 by now and wants one might as well either just get it or wait a little longer, it's not going to be that different either way.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
B
BeatCrazy
3 weeks ago
Probably the best time for the basic model to be skipped/delayed. Standard iPhone 17 is still a very strong device, basically lacking nothing for the 99.9%, save for a >2X optical zoom.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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