klasma
macrumors G4
I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple simply discontinues the 17 when the 18 launches. Also it won’t be strictly worse, the SoC and camera will probably be slightly better.
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Leaker: Apple to Downgrade iPhone 18 in Two Ways
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I seriously don’t get the camera button. Why can’t the action button do this? (Don’t have it).
The 16 series which introduced it, makes no sense. The only real thing it has going for it the shell for the battery. Better off saving money and going with the 15 or paying more and going with the 17. I think the action button could’ve been a camera button imo.
jsavvy
macrumors 6502
If this ends up being true, then I will echo what others have already said. Glad I got the 17.
The 17 is their best model due to the extreme leap. I doubt that. But there’s a big threat the 17 undercuts the 18. The improvements will be too small and many will rather save $100 and get the 17s. I could be wrong. It will really depend on how big the leap for the 18 is. But it feels like small iteration this time.
JPack
macrumors P6
It makes zero sense. The theory essentially suggests Apple will delete E-series and abandon the sub-$799 market.
Happy_John
Suspended
Yes. I'm very dubious about these rumours. It also makes no sense at all to say that the new iPhone will be brought down to the level of the new iPhone e, because then there is no point in having an iPhone e.
This reeks of "slow news day".
Populus
macrumors 604
What many people are missing, is that those subtle downgrades in the screen can be applied at the same time to the iPhone 17. Just look at the difference between the iPhone 17 in the Apple Store tables and the ones you get out of your box, or the already famous panel lottery.
It will be easy to just downgrade the 17 screen as well, because no one is going to analyze a launch day iPhone 17 and a 2027 iPhone 17 side by side.
chiplander
macrumors newbie
OK. But in your article you literally only say iPhone 18 as a general term. Did the leaker say this will apply to ALL iPhone 18 models (Pro/e/etc) across the board? Some specifics would make this ...um... better. (the article, not the questionable decisions from Apple)
jarman92
macrumors 68020
Yeah I don't think that's at all unreasonable considering inflation and skyrocketing RAM prices. If Apple doesn't think it can maintain its margins on the e series I don't see any reason why they would keep it around.
surferfb
macrumors 68030
There's no reason my proposed "iPhone 18 that is actually what the 18e would have been" can't start at $799. Would certainly track with a reason things are supposedly getting "worse" compared to the 17 - allows them to lower the price. Or, maybe $799 isn't doable given RAM and component prices and Apple's margins, and so they'll just deal with it until they think they can introduce an "iPhone Neo" in a few years.
I mean, it's a guess, and the people working at Apple are certainly smarter than me and I may be completely off, but in my opinion it makes a lot of rumors make sense that currently make no sense to me. And it tracks with things they've done in the past (MacBook being replaced by MacBook Air as the "default" laptop.)
gothicgeek
macrumors member
This just reinforces the fact that Apple has too many models, the e-series is too close to the standard iPhone and can be a confusing option. They really should narrow down the lineup to entry level, mid range and high end phones. The most sensible thing to me would be to align all products to be Neo(entry), Air (mid) and Pro (prosumer). Then with the addition of the fold they would have Ultra, which would create a super high end category. Maybe with Ternus being a product focused CEO he will take an initiative in simplifying product names.
I use the camera control button 95% of the time to launch the camera and then about 50% of the time to take a picture or adjust it. I use the action button multiple times per day -- mostly set as turning on the "flashlight" but I'll change it to other actions sometimes as well. Those two buttons were the most useful upgrade with my 16 Pro from my 13 Pro and the major reason I upgraded.
That's just one anecdote, but I'd miss both buttons if either disappeared. They are just too useful for me.
Every product product Apple releases isn’t the best they can do. It’s what can they release and most profit to the cents and what keep in their pocket for us to keep coming back
JPack
macrumors P6
Apple would hike up the price by $50.
Does McDonald's stop selling Big Macs if the price of beef doubles?
conmee
macrumors 6502a
No, but maybe the all beef patties get watered down with horse or crickets. 😉
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Happy_John
Suspended
Yes, that's why I don't get the whole "narrowing" the gap between the two. The gap is not that wide.
Currently, the only real differences are: better screen and two cameras not eh base model (and the camera control, but that's very much a non-factor for the vast majority of people.
The "e", which is a very good phone, but, as you say, has little going for it over the base phone except a lower price, and that price difference is leveled out by going for an older model.
So I think the target market for the "e" is:
1) as a corporate phone, bought in bulk by corporations for the staff
2) for phone network carriers - as they can offer the "e" as the "no money up front, and paid for in 24 installments added onto your carrier fee" option." The carrier then can add on a couple of hundred bucks / euro / pounds as a up front fee for the base iPhone.
jarman92
macrumors 68020
Do you really think the e series is to Apple what the Big Mac is to McDonalds? 🤨 It's an ancillary product line, at best.
And they could do that, but if the purpose of the e series is to hit a particular price point—and that seems to be the case—then it doesn't make much sense to raise that price point, particularly in a year/cycle that will apparently see at least five other iPhone models.
Happy_John
Suspended
I use the camera control button to open the camera app, but that's it. All adjustments and taking the photo itself I do with the on screen controls.
It would be a lot more useful to more people if they allowed you to allocate the various touch options to other features.
JPack
macrumors P6
There is a clear feature and BOM separation between 18 and 18e. Everything from display size, camera count, camera sensor size (front and rear), UWB, to Camera Control.
Out of all three iPhones launching spring 2027, the iPhone Air 2 is the odd one out. It closely resembles the iPhone 18 in most respects but is $999 vs. $799. Given the sales performance and cost pressure, it's extremely unlikely Apple would choose to default around a titanium-based iPhone that consumers weren't interested in. People care about cameras and battery life and Air 2 is unlikely to offer $200 of extra value to most consumers.