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Apple's iPhone 18 Release Schedule: What's Coming and When

Apple is a consumer control case study.

“Too many people are buying the cheap model. How can we push them to Pro models again?”

“Split the release. Give them pro now and the standard model later and they’ll go pro…”
 
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Wegmans said:
Not having FaceID on the foldable is a dealbreaker for me personally, especially in winter with gloves. Typing in a passcode isn’t that big a deal one time, but dozens or more over a day, over a week, etc. is a pain point. I hope the rumor is wrong!
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I moved to Android for a year to see how things were. (Samsung S25Edge) The one thing that annoys me more than anything else is the lack of face ID. Once you add a screen protector to the phone, the finger print sensor becomes mostly effective but not always great . The camera version of faceID is hit and miss. I sure do miss reliable FaceID.
Not having it on the fold would be a travesty and definitely make me think twice.
 
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now i see it said:
So if you buy a pro iPhone on launch day in September, you get buggy beta software on day one. That’s always a drag.
But if you buy a standard iPhone 18 in the spring, you’ll get a much more polished iOS experience on day one.
Click to expand...

I’ve been running the developer beta of iOS 27 on my 16 PM and it’s probably the most solid beta I’ve ever run. You really don’t notice it’s a beta.
techfirth said:
Apple is a consumer control case study.

“Too many people are buying the cheap model. How can we push them to Pro models again?”

“Split the release. Give them pro now and the standard model later and they’ll go pro…”
Click to expand...

The moment they split the standard and a pro release dates this was my first inclination. People who are on the “old” upgrade cycle will want to either upgrade at the same time they used to. Or, if looking to purchase a holiday gift they will be pushed into the Pro to get it before the holidays. It’s shrewd marketing.

I was getting a 17PM anyway. Only question is the color. I may opt for that dark gray as opposed to the prune color. Not sure yet.

And I know it’s a waste of money. IDK.
 
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I_love_money said:
Sorry Apple, won’t get it. The updates are just not worth it.
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I don’t understand these types of comments. What do you expect from a year-to-year update? 48 Megapixels camera in 2025, 100 Megapixels in 2027? 12GB RAM in 2025, 24GB in 2026?

You can’t keep doing significant upgrades on a year-to-year basis anymore because we’re closer to the actual physical limits.
 
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DanneP said:
I don’t understand these types of comments. What do you expect from a year-to-year update? 48 Megapixels camera in 2025, 100 Megapixels in 2027? 12GB RAM in 2025, 24GB in 2026?

You can’t keep doing significant upgrades on a year-to-year basis anymore because we’re closer to the actual physical limits.
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You do know that these minimal upgrades are due to their overall financial strategy? Apple’s goal is to maximize their profit, not make the best iPhone every year.
eyeseeyou said:
Logically my brain says to stick with my 16 pro. Rumor mills say trade it in now before the trade in value drops when the 18 is announced plus the rumored 17 pro price hike.
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Yes you need to trade it in immediately. Else you’re missing out on the new shiny iPhone 18 Pro that’s just so much better than the 16 Pro. Imagine still using a 16 Pro with the slightly bigger Dynamic Island in 2027. Yikes!
 
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We all know at this point what’s coming and there is zero reason if you have an iPhone 17 Pro to upgrade to the much more expensive iPhone 18 Pro in light of the iPhone 20 coming next year.

Unless you want the Max with its variable aperture, you’d be stupid not to roll with the much less expensive 17 Pro and to buy it now before Apple increases its price.

It’ll be fun to watch the sales numbers of the 18 Pro and Pro Max Slide. You can’t ask for $200 more and give almost nothing in return.

Tim is leaving John with a nice little slap in the face. Few will upgrade from the 17 for a cherry colored model that costs $200 more with nothing but a smaller Dynamic Island and a slightly improved camera.
 
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now i see it said:
So if you buy a pro iPhone on launch day in September, you get buggy beta software on day one. That’s always a drag.
But if you buy a standard iPhone 18 in the spring, you’ll get a much more polished iOS experience on day one.
Click to expand...
But an outdated iPhone.
 
I_love_money said:
You do know that these minimal upgrades are due to their overall financial strategy? Apple’s goal is to maximize their profit, not make the best iPhone every year.

Yes you need to trade it in immediately. Else you’re missing out on the new shiny iPhone 18 Pro that’s just so much better than the 16 Pro. Imagine still using a 16 Pro with the slightly bigger Dynamic Island in 2027. Yikes!
Click to expand...
Funny thing is, even though I pretty much enjoy the iPhone 16 pro and not to be one of those people online who just seem to look for something to complain about, I’ve never ever liked the Dynamic Island at all. A smaller Dynamic Island would be somewhat of a selling point for me lol
 
Much wow, let's bring back the same colours we've already had for the 13 Pro Max and the 14 Pro Max, and just give them different names. Slam in a bigger battery and just leave the ugly glass plate on the back. So innovative.
 
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Dark_Omen said:
When Motorola can make a phone that's 17g lighter than the iPhone Air, with 2500 mAh more capacity, and about the same thickness -- that's an engineering issue on Apple's part.
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If that’s the case then the Motorola phone is a good deal. Right?
 
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I_love_money said:
You do know that these minimal upgrades are due to their overall financial strategy? Apple’s goal is to maximize their profit, not make the best iPhone every year.
Click to expand...
How would you like Apple to upgrade their phones then, would you prefer a few years between every new release, or do you actually expect big updates every year? Because I don't understand how the former would impact you positively in any way, and the latter just isn't really possible.

Antilogical said:
Would a 24 month iPhone cycle really be that terrible? Other than for the shareholders?
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Of course it's definitely good for APPL to release a new model every year, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad for you.

Why don't you just skip every other release and you'll get your 24 month cycle? It's a serious question.


I don't know what you guys are reaching for. I agree that new iPhones aren't nearly as exciting as in the early days but you've got to be realistic, there are no free lunches left in terms of performance, camera, or display quality. There are no big leaps to be made.

You could argue that Apple should make radical design changes but what would they even change? I like the idea of the Air but you look at the sales numbers and you quickly realize that this new type of iPhone isn't interesting to the vast majority of people.
 
The interesting part is how this affects buyers. People who normally upgrade every September might now feel pushed toward the Pro models if they don't want to wait another 6 months. I'm curious whether Apple is testing a new pricing strategy here.
 
vegetassj4 said:
Just buy the pro first. Then trade it for the normal model. ????. Profit!
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Yes moving from a yearly release cycle to a 6 month cycle will probably make sales to those who were unsure about the pro/max models. And trading in the pro for the base might be a good idea!!
 
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