What next for iPhone?
Mac fORMAT INVESTIGATES
What next for iPhone?
Apple is planning some big changes for the next generation of iPhones
WRITTEN BY DAVID CROOKES
While handset refreshes may be subject to a change in timetable, we can expect a whole new kind of iPhone innovation.
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or a number of years, F we’ve become used to the familiar, regular cycle of
iPhone updates. Certainly, since 2019, we’ve seen the annual
September/October release of a new ‘standard’ iPhone along with Pro and Pro Max versions. These have been followed by sporadic entry-level SE and ‘e’ devices in February or March.
Last year, however, there was a new entrant – the iPhone Air – and there’s an expectation that we’ll see another fresh handset this autumn too. But what we’re also likely to witness is a stark change in launch strategy. For the first time, only the premium handsets are set to be released in the autumn. All the rest will follow months later.
In product terms, that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be released in September. They’ll likely be joined by the iPhone Ultra – aka the iPhone Fold – either the same month or in December. The standard iPhone, iPhone 18e and potentially the iPhone Air 2 are said to be coming in spring 2027. But what’s behind Apple’s change in launch strategy?
According to Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, Apple has taken this decision because the “fall release cycle eventually became a burden”. He says releasing so many products in the pre-festive window has been putting too much pressure on various teams both inside and outside of Apple while failing to spread revenue more evenly across the year.