Apple iPhone 18e said to receive two major upgrades

The Apple iPhone 17e ($559 on Amazon) launched in March 2026, and rumors have long suggested that the iPhone 18e will follow a similar schedule next year. Now, the highly reliable leaker Digital Chat Station has already learned many details about the specifications of the next-generation budget iPhone.

According to the leak, Apple will continue to use a 6.12-inch OLED panel with a refresh rate of just 60 Hz. The back of the smartphone is expected to feature just a single camera as before, equipped with a 48-megapixel sensor, although it remains unclear whether Apple will continue to use a tiny 1/2.55-inch sensor. Still, the iPhone 18e is expected to receive two significant upgrades. First, a brand-new 24-megapixel selfie camera – this is likely to be the square sensor already used in the iPhone 18 Pro (Max).

Apple advertises this sensor as having a resolution of 18 megapixels, since only a cropped portion of the sensor is used at any given time. The square format has the advantage that the iPhone does not need to be rotated to take selfies in portrait or landscape orientation. And second, the Apple A19 is expected to be replaced by a new Apple A20 ARM processor, which, according to earlier rumors, will be paired with 9 GB of RAM instead of the current 8 GB. As usual, such early rumors should be treated with caution, as Apple's plans could still change before the iPhone 18e launches.