Apple could shake up the iPhone lineup release schedule starting next year

More signs point to a new release schedule

(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

• 📅 Apple looks set to be changing its release schedule for iPhone in the next couple of years

• 👀 Reliable Apple tipster Mark Gurman claims that the flagship devices and mid-range options will be split six months apart

• 🍂 Flagship devices would be released in the fall, with mid-range ones the following spring

• 👐 The next iPhone release in fall 2026 could finally see the launch of the first foldable iPhone

Apple looks set to be shaking up its release plans for the next couple of years’ worth of iPhone releases.

According to reliable Apple tipster Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, the company seems set on changing its release pattern for iPhones, including its yearly September launch plan that we’ve come to know.

Gurman’s article only details the next 18 months or so of releases, but claims that this new release pattern will continue for “years to come”.

Fall 2026

(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

For the iPhone 18 release, Gurman notes that the next set of Apple’s handsets won’t launch until ‘fall 2026’.

That’s generally assumed to be September 2026, if Apple’s usual release timing is followed.

With this in mind, this suggests that Apple won’t be refreshing mid-range models such as an SE or a ‘suffixed’ option with the iPhone 18 lineup, as those are usually released earlier in the year than September.

Gurman suggests that Apple could release the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models, plus the long-awaited first foldable iPhone.

Intriguingly, Apple appears to be skipping the release of a base model iPhone 18 in the fall of next year, so you’ll have to wait a little longer.

Spring 2027

(Credit: Kevin Lee/The Shortcut)

For the base model iPhone 18, you’ll be waiting until spring 2027, according to Gurman, in and around March, judging by Apple’s previous track record for releasing more affordable handsets in the spring.

At this event, Apple is reportedly planning on launching both the base model iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18e. The iPhone Air 2 is only a “potential” launch at this event.

This would mark the first iteration of Apple’s new release cycle for the years to come – flagship devices in the fall, with the mid-range and base models in the following spring.

With the iPhone Air 2, Gurman has previously noted (via 9to5Mac) that the device was never planned for a 2026 launch, meaning previous claims that the device had been delayed were inaccurate.

The Air 2 is also set to feature a 2nm chipset to yield stronger battery life, although he claims reports of the phone having a second rear camera are unlikely.

He also highlighted the claim that the iPhone Air is a reported testbed for the future foldable iPhone, with the first Apple foldable using “many of the same materials, miniaturization techniques, internal components, batteries, and software optimizations” that the iPhone Air has employed.

Gurman has an excellent track record for Apple leaks, and his report lines up with a similar report from The Information. The information said Apple might delay iPhone 18 to spring 2027 to make room for a foldable, which seems even more likely now.

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Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.