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Apple's flagship smartphone hasn't taken a year off from its updates since 2007, and barring a massive surprise, 2026 won't be different – but there will be a twist.
The Cupertino-based tech giant is widely expected to launch a new lineup of iPhones later this year, including the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the rumored iPhone Ultra, the company's first-ever foldable. The regular iPhone 18, the 18e, and the new iPhone Air are likely to arrive early next year.
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As we await the iPhone 18 — and its updated operating system, iOS 27 — tidbits of news and rumors continue to trickle out. The pace of leaks on the iPhone 18 Pro in particular is likely to increase after a massive hack exposed thousands of Apple's internal documents, reportedly including iPhone 18 Pro suppliers and tests.
We won't see any of the new Apple phones in the wild for months — but we can bring you the most substantiated and most likely updates in one place.
iPhone 18 lineup pricing
If you're in the market for a new iPhone, you should circle September in your calendar. That has been the month for Apple's big showcase event for a very long time, and there's no reason to believe Apple will change that in 2026.
Expect to see new Apple CEO John Ternus take the stage to introduce it; his term of office officially begins Sept. 1.
What he'll be introducing, alas, may put more of a dent in your wallet. Thanks to the ongoing RAM shortage caused by the AI industry (also known as RAMageddon), tons of smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles are seeing huge price hikes. Experts who've spoken to Mashable say that trend isn't going to stop anytime soon.
As the world's number one smartphone maker, Apple has some advantages over its rivals, but a price increase is definitely coming. We had hoped otherwise — Apple raised prices on its new MacBooks earlier this year, while also introducing a low-cost $599 laptop that put big pressure on its Windows rivals.
But then outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook took the unusual step of preparing us for a pricier iPhone. "Price increases are unavoidable," Cook told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. The Journal quoted an analysis showing that the memory chip components in the iPhone 18 Pro will cost Apple $150 more than those in the iPhone 17 Pro.
So should you expect the phones to cost just $150 more than their predecessors (see the iPhone 17 prices here)? You wish. There's the pesky fact that Apple is a for-profit company, and the iPhone is the #1 smartphone in the world for a reason, even though it's already pricier than Samsung's.
How much of an increase will Apple fans bear? We may be about to find out, but the Journal estimated $1,299 for the iPhone 18 Pro ($200 more than last year).
iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Ultra launch dates
Barring a huge turn under Ternus, Apple will release the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone Ultra in early September. Obviously Apple's first foldable iPhone is the biggest headline here, but the Pro models will bring numerous improvements too.
The iPhone 18, however, alongside the cheaper iPhone 18e, and the next-gen iPhone Air, are rumored to come next year, likely in March 2027.
iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro design
Again, Apple has not released any official teasers or other imagery for the iPhone 18 lineup yet, so anything reported to date could be wrong. Still, from the sum total of all reports, it sounds like Apple isn't really reinventing the wheel, design-wise. But Ternus, a hardware guy, is reportedly bringing the company's industrial design group into the center of the Apple fold.
Looking further into the future, the iPhone 20 is said to bring big changes, including a curved waterfall display.
Per our friends at CNET (Mashable and CNET are both owned by Ziff Davis), the display sizes will be roughly the same as last year:
- iPhone 18: 6.3 inches
- iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3 inches
- iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9 inches
However, the display quality might be a little different this year. Prominent leaker Instant Digital shared on Chinese social media that Apple's brightness demands are unusually high this year, so it would be reasonable to expect much brighter displays than in previous years.
Some iPhone 18 models could also have a smaller camera bump compared to previous models. There are reports of a slightly redesigned Dynamic Island on the screen itself, with the pill-shaped notification hub potentially being made smaller in the iPhone 18 Pro models. One alleged leaked image purports to show an iPhone 18 Pro with a downsized Dynamic Island cutout.
Wondering about the iPhone 18 color options? For the iPhone 18 Pro, at least, it seems the color options have already leaked. Previous rumors indicated Apple was experimenting with a "deep red" color for the iPhone 18 Pro, and a new report from MacWorld backs that up. According to their reporting, the color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro will be silver, gray, light blue, and a color called "dark cherry" — likely the deep red previously reported.
Sadly, we think fans of black iPhones are out of luck again.
iPhone 18: rumored hardware features
So we know the software the iPhone 18 will run: iOS 27, introduced at WWDC 2026. Time to start talking about some of the internal hardware changes Apple is reportedly making to the iPhone 18 lineup.
For starters, it sounds like the lineup will have a standardized 12GB RAM count across the board. In previous years, the Pro models had 12GB of RAM, while the base model had only 8GB. According to Korean outlet The Bell, Apple will be upgrading the base model so that it matches the Pro models in that regard. It's also widely expected that Apple will adopt new A20 and A20 Pro chips for the base and Pro models, respectively.
It's also expected that the new iPhones will have a new C2 modem for improved cellular connectivity, and they may also have 5G satellite support. Also reported: a new N2 chip for better WiFi performance.
Latest iPhone 18 Pro rumors
For the iPhone 18 Pro, the current expectation is that Apple will improve the battery size in the premium iPhone 18 models this year.
Leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo reported that the batteries could exceed 5,000mAh, which would be an improvement over the iPhone 17 Pro.
Instant Digital posted in a separate Weibo leak that the back glass of the iPhone 18 Pro has been altered, resulting in a new unified look, as opposed to the two-tone look of the iPhone 17 Pro. Whether that change will affect durability (or if it's just an aesthetic difference) remains to be seen.
Other differences include Apple's new A20 Pro chip inside, improved LTPO+ display, Apple's new C2 modem, 5G via satellite connectivity, and the improved N2 chip which should improve hotspot and AirDrop reliability.
What about the iPhone 18 Pro Max?
Several reports out of China say the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a much larger battery — and be a bit of a chunky boy as a result.
We're not talking about a huge increase in weight and width: a quarter of a millimeter thickness and 7 grams more respectively. Still, every gram counts on the heftiest iPhone model you can get — so iPhone 17 Pro Max upgraders may want to check that their pocket linings can bear the larger bulk of the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
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iPhone 18 camera rumors
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a source of many spot-on iPhone reports, says the iPhone 18 Pro, in particular, will have "some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the lineup's history."
Why? First, the telephoto camera has a larger aperture. But more important is the variable aperture.
First reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, variable aperture is a huge deal. It would let the iPhone 18 Pro camera capture different amounts of light for different situations — potentially leading to a huge leap in photo quality, if you know what you're doing.
For instance, the bokeh effect famously associated with portrait mode on iPhones would be possible in-camera rather than through software processing, resulting in more natural and generally better-looking shots.
What about AI Siri?
Of course, one of the first things many users will want to know about the iPhone 18 when they get their hands on one: what is the new, revamped, AI-upgraded Siri experience like?
If you're feeling adventurous, you can try it yourself by installing the iOS 27 beta.
The new features include Siri becoming an actual chatbot with its own app. It's also able to understand what's on your screen, and it can help you write, create images, and edit photos.
For an overview of some of the best features Siri AI has to offer, go here. And for the best new features in Apple's iOS 27 public beta, check our roundup here.
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