iPhone 18: Prominent analysts expect another Center Stage camera upgrade and the iPhone Fold with the first Apple UDC

Even before the September launch, analysts expected a 24 MP front camera across the entire iPhone 17 generation. However, as we now know, this turned out to be the nearly square center-stage camera with an 18 MP sensor in the iPhone 17. But the analysts at JP Morgan aren't giving up. As they elucidate in a table shared by Max Weinbach on X, they expect all iPhone 18 models, with the exception of the iPhone 18e, to feature 24 MP selfie cameras.

Whether Apple is planning another sensor upgrade for 2026 and 2027 so soon following the comprehensive front camera upgrade remains to be seen. However, the analysis mentions another exciting detail: a 24 MP under-display camera in Apple's first foldable device, which could potentially launch in September 2026 as the iPhone Fold. Display analysts such as Ross Young highlighted a few weeks ago that Apple's plans for Face ID and Facetime cameras hidden under the display have been postponed, so it remains unclear who is right.

According to JP Morgan, the iPhone Fold will also be equipped with a 48 MP dual camera consisting of an ultra-wide-angle and main camera, but unlike the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, it will not offer a variable aperture, and sensor shift stabilization is apparently not on the agenda either. JP Morgan has also provided initial information about the iPhone 19 generation in 2027, potentially named iPhone 20. Contrary to another rumor from a few days ago, the iPhone 19 Air, also known as iPhone Air 2, will still feature a single camera. Analysts anticipate a larger aperture for the ultra-wide-angle camera and a significantly larger sensor behind the main camera.