Apple’s iPhone strategy might be about to undergo a significant change. The iPhone launch has been a yearly occurrence for years: a single, big reveal with a few new models every fall. However, the corporation is getting ready to revamp its product selection and release timetable in light of the predicted advent of a foldable iPhone. Recent reports state that Apple will not release a base iPhone 18 in 2026. The little “vanilla” model won’t perish forever, though.
According to the Korean news agency ET News, this reorganisation will start in the upcoming year. According to the source, Apple will only launch the more affordable iPhone 17e in the first half of 2026. Four high-end models—the iPhone 18 Air, 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and the eagerly awaited foldable iPhone—would then make up the fall 2026 collection. Apple would not offer a base iPhone 18 in 2026, to put it another way.
The lineup would then settle into a six-model yearly release beginning in 2027. In the first half of the year, Apple planned to release both the “e” model and the “regular” iPhone. In the meantime, the second half will see the arrival of the remaining high-end and foldable variants.
Apple has other changes in store for its iPhone lineup. The company is switching to a slimmer “Air” model this year in place of the unsuccessful “Plus” model. Additionally, the business changed its naming scheme to “16e” and reintroduced a “budget” iPhone this spring for the first time in three years. For upcoming joint releases, the new “e” suffix was probably a means to “match the numbering” with the standard models.
