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Base iPhone 18 Shifting to Spring 2027 Launch, Six Months After 18 Pro

ELman said:
Sounds like a way to get people to spend more on a pro model they will under utilize.
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Not really, in the worse case you will have to wait few more months till you can buy the model you interested in.

In the real world, out of this forum, most people don't care when the next model comes out, they keep their phones for a few years till its stop working or get damaged and then go to the store and buy whatever available at that moment.
 
jouster said:
Because there is clearly a differentiated market that can support a range of models and prices a single model could not.

A single model would price some budget buyers out, and leave some premium buyers’ money on the table.
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Premium buyers leave money on table?

No other company has an ecosystem of standard of quality in materials like Apple

When you buy Apple you buy not only the product, but the ecosystem, the software, the support (hardware and software).

No one in the consumer space offers anything near that complete bundle of support.

Your iPhone dies, you can walk out an Apple Store in hours with a repaired or replacement iPhone

Even with a single iPhone they would have most of the market.
 
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BGrifter said:
Apple continues moving away from making products I want to buy at a price I’m willing to pay.
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I started with used Macs, then a brand new clone, back to used Macs when clones were killed and finally brand new Macs. The mini is such a good deal that I'm never going back to used.

I've gone in the other direction with phones. My last brand new iPhone was an 8. Since then prices and phones have continued to get bigger while my needs have remained pretty much the same so I switched to buying lightly used older models from resellers and cell phone companies dumping older stock to make room for new models.
 
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So regular iPhone will just get the press releases while the Fall Event will just be about the Pro and Folds?
 
geta said:
Not really, in the worse case you will have to wait few more months till you can buy the model you interested in.

In the real world, out of this forum, most people don't care when the next model comes out, they keep their phones for a few years till its stop working or get damaged and then go to the store and buy whatever available at that moment.
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Unless your a business that replaces all devices on a set schedule.
 
Very possible. Pro and Fold models will launch first with all the latest and greatest features and base models will launch along with the new 'e' model later on. It looks like yearly upgrade to the current 16e model will happen. This will ensure that Apple will have a new iPhone every six months.
 
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I wish Apple would do iPhones just as they do with their other products. After all, most iPhone users keep their phones nearly as long as their laptops. I have several friends who still use iPhone XRs and 11 Pros. I see a TON of iPhone 12s around as well. iOS and iPhones effectively look and do the same exact thing for 95% of all apps and tasks iPhone users do. They even look nearly identical hardware wise for those outside of the enthusiasts on this forum. Try asking a lay person what is the difference between a 12 Pro and 16 Pro. Then show them what they actually do different.
 
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As time goes on, Apple keeps doing more and more things that makes me hate them. I’ve been a loyal Apple user for the last 25 years. I think their behavior is bizarre, and then I realize that Apple is one of the greediest companies on the planet. Them and Disney.
 
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MacRumors said:


Apple will launch the standard iPhone 18 in early 2027, marking a major shift in the company's release strategy beginning in 2026.

Apple-iPhone-16-family-lineup.jpg

According to industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple plans to split its flagship iPhone lineup between two launch windows annually. The iPhone 18 Pro models and a new foldable iPhone will arrive in the second half of 2026, while the standard iPhone 18 and an updated iPhone 18e will follow in the first half of 2027. Here's how Kuo sees the next two and a half years of iPhone launches shaping up:
  • 2H25: iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Slim (Air), iPhone 17
  • 1H26: iPhone 17e
  • 2H26: iPhone Foldable, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Slim (Air)
  • 1H27: iPhone 18, iPhone 18e
  • 2H27: iPhone Foldable 2 (already kicked off), iPhone 19 Pro Max, iPhone 19 Pro, iPhone 19 Slim (with a larger display vs. 18 Slim)
Kuo attributes this strategic shift to two key factors: addressing the "marketing gap" created by mainly Chinese competitors who typically release flagships in the first half of the year, and preventing "diluted marketing efforts" as Apple's iPhone lineup expands.

Kuo's roadmap tallies up with the latest report from The Information, which revealed Apple's plans to debut the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, Air, and a new foldable device in fall 2026, with standard models following in spring 2027.

The staggered approach would also help Apple manage manufacturing resources more efficiently as its lineup grows to six devices instead of five. If implemented, it would be the first deliberate separation of Apple's flagship iPhone releases since the company established its annual fall launch pattern with the iPhone 4S in 2011.

Article Link: Base iPhone 18 Shifting to Spring 2027 Launch, Six Months After 18 Pro
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When can we actually get high refresh rate on base models?? And who will buy an downgraded phone if a much powerful one (2 gen better) is going to release only 6 month away? iPhone 19 Pro is like 2 gen ahead compared to 18
 
ELman said:
Unless your a business that replaces all devices on a set schedule.
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So I guess in your business you replace the phones every year as soon as a new model comes out, and don't keep them as long as possible as long as they serve their needs?
 
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kinda like how samsung have two seperate events, one for the galaxies and one for the folds.

Is apple gearing up to have more than 1 flagship?
 
uacd said:
I am from Europe too! Most of people I know own iPhones, and I mean my friends aren’t some super rich people or IT guys, most of them owned Androids in the past and got fed up with them to the point of buying used iPhones, and then upgrading to brand new iPhones, they liked iOS much more because of “no lags and spyware”, in their words
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Well, I own iPhone too (virtual pipe organ and VST use). But, in Italy, it's not the most common phone. Right: in their words. Saying that, f.e., Galaxy S25 is full of spyware, is at least an uninformed or biased idea. Of course everyone has his opinion, but what your friends say is most logic if they are coming from a 200€ chinese phone. But obviously, these are not the best phonens to be compared to iPhones ;)
 
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This is bad news for standard iPhone buyers. Usually, prices drop 6 months after release. If the iPhone 18 is released 6 months after the pro, one has to wait 1 year to get a good discount - Would be odd to get discounts on the pro and not the standard or the 18e
 
Geekett said:
This is bad news for standard iPhone buyers. Usually, prices drop 6 months after release. If the iPhone 18 is released 6 months after the pro, one has to wait 1 year to get a good discount - Would be odd to get discounts on the pro and not the standard or the 18e
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These discounts will come few months after the release, like the new 16e, it came out few months ago and now you slowly see a decrease in the price.
 
geta said:
So I guess in your business you replace the phones every year as soon as a new model comes out, and don't keep them as long as possible as long as they serve their needs?
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Every three years in the fall.
 
The iPhone line-up, about to become as complicated as the iPad one.

I miss the day when we had one iPhone a year (2 screen sizes) and every release was an actual upgrade from the year before. The annual upgrade is dead, about to become an upgrade every 3 years.
 
Bregalad said:
I started with used Macs, then a brand new clone, back to used Macs when clones were killed and finally brand new Macs. The mini is such a good deal that I'm never going back to used.

I've gone in the other direction with phones. My last brand new iPhone was an 8. Since then prices and phones have continued to get bigger while my needs have remained pretty much the same so I switched to buying lightly used older models from resellers and cell phone companies dumping older stock to make room for new models.
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Apple secured a very lucrative market with the iPhone. It’s still a massive contributor to their profits and for the forseabale future.

But the phone market in general has focused massively on premium devices recently. I see lots of teenagers with iPhone Pro and Pro Max. The young are more susceptible to peer pressure and marketing. It used to be all about sneakers/trainors, but now it all about phones, and their accessories.

Lots of susceptible people want to be seen with the latest high end iPhones because it indicates “success”.
 
It would make sense to release them three months apart, so there’s something to look forward to every quarter.

Pro model in fall, non-pro model in spring, and e-model in summer
 
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