Apple iPhone 18 may not debut till 2027 as new leak reveals revamped iPhone release schedule
Big changes may be on the cards at Apple. The Cupertino-based company is expected to launch an all-new model this year as a direct reply to Samsung's imminent Galaxy S25 Edge. This phone, now tipped to be branded as the iPhone 17 Slim, will launch alongside other iPhone 17 series models later in the year, and could mark a re-jig of Apple's smartphone launch strategy.
According to a new report by industry insider Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is set to adopt a bi-annual release schedule starting next year. While all four iPhone 17 models will debut this year as planned, the company could be geared to delay the vanilla iPhone 18 till 2027.
Going by this newly revealed timeline, the iPhone 17e could launch early next year, like the 16e did this year. The main September launch conference could then see the iPhone 18 Slim, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple's first foldable iPhone debut together. The vanilla iPhone 18 would, in turn, be relegated to an early 2027 launch alongside the iPhone 18e.
Ming-Chi Kuo claims this change would be an attempt by Apple to compete effectively across the year, by offering new models at both the start and end of the year. As it stands, most OEMs release flagship models in the first third of the year, with Apple having no direct response to that. Releasing two iPhone models around that period should, theoretically, improve sales numbers.
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