Apple iPhone 18 said to receive downgrades to reduce costs

Rumors have been circulating for some time according to which the Apple iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will not be launched until spring 2027, while only high-end models will be announced in September, including the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max as well as the iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra. According to the latest information from the leaker Fixed Focus Digital, the iPhone 18 will not only be launched later, but will also be downgraded compared to the iPhone 17 ($803 on Amazon) in order to reduce production costs.

With this step, Apple could counteract the effects of the DRAM crisis. The iPhone 18 is to be brought more in line with the cheaper iPhone 18e through a number of cost-cutting measures in production. Specifically, the leaker is talking about the manufacturing process itself, but also about chips and memory. It is not yet known exactly how these downgrades will manifest themselves in practice. The iPhone 17 differs from the cheaper iPhone 17e mainly due to the slightly larger 120 Hz OLED display, the additional ultra-wide-angle camera and the Dynamic Island.

While it is unlikely that Apple will return to a 60 Hz display, there are some features Apple could remove. These include, above all, the dedicated camera shutter button of the iPhone 17. The Apple A19 has five GPU cores in the iPhone 17 and only four in the iPhone 17e. The 18 MP selfie camera with square sensor and wireless fast charging with 25 watts instead of 15 watts could also be omitted. As usual, such early rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.