After iPhone 17 series launch in September, Apple may not launch the iPhone 18 model next year. Here’s why

Apple’s next iPhone launch is on the horizon with the latest iPhone 17 series likely to make its debut early next month. Even before the launch of the new models, we have new reports suggesting that Apple could significantly change the launch timeline of its iPhone 18 series next year, which could lead to the vanilla iPhone 18 variant not debuting alongside the other three models in 2026.

However, Apple isn’t killing off the iPhone 18 but instead delaying its launch to the following year. If a new report by a Korean publication is to be believed, the iPhone 18 will make its debut in early 2027 alongside the new foldable iPhone.

Reportedly, Apple believes that the new launch strategy will help boost iPhone sales. While it isn’t clear how this would play out, the idea could be that in the absence of the iPhone 18, users may opt for the iPhone 18 Air or iPhone 18 Pro variants instead.

The iPhone 17e launch, however, does not seem likely to change and the phone could debut at the same time as its predecessor.

This isn’t the first time we are hearing about Apple changing its iPhone 18 launch cycle. Earlier, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had also stated that Apple would not launch the iPhone 18 model at the September 2026 event.

Kuo, however, predicted that the iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max would debut alongside the first foldable iPhone. Meanwhile, GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu had recently stated that the launch of the foldable iPhone has been delayed, with the new device expected to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026 — making the September launch window unlikely.

Meanwhile, Apple is also revamping its iPhone lineup this year as the company is set to retire the Plus variant from the iPhone 16 series in favour of the new iPhone 17 Air, which is touted to be the slimmest and lightest iPhone to date.