We’re about two months away from Apple’s annual iPhone debut in September. This year, however, will be a little different. Instead of the entire iPhone lineup debuting at once, just the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Maxand new foldable iPhone will be released this September. Here’s why.
A growing iPhone line
Over the years, the annual iPhone range has gradually expanded. Recently, there were only 3 annual debuts: iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Proand iPhone 11 Pro Max. In 2020, that grew to 4 annual debuts with the iPhone 12 miniand in 2022, the iPhone 12 mini was changed by iPhone 14 Plus – and that has now been changed by iphone air.
With the introduction of iPhone 16ethe annual release cycle grew to 5. With the introduction of iPhone UltraNow there will be 6 iPhones per year. That’s a lot of phones and a very busy scene if they all debut at the same time.
So, Apple has decided to move to a split release schedule.
Two iPhone releases: fall and spring
The iPhone 18 lineup will consist of 6 models: iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18e, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone Ultra.
There will be a theme to this split release schedule: flagships in the fall and lower-end devices in the spring. So, it will look like this:
- Fall 2026: iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Ultra
- Spring 2027: iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, iPhone Air 2
When the iPhone line grew to four devices, the fourth model appeared. it never sold well at launch, either iPhone mini or iPhone Plus. So Apple thought there should be a definitive split, giving separate attention to additional phones.
However, there is a bit of a twist when it comes to the iPhone 18. Apple is reportedly working to fusing production techniques of the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e, so there may be much less differentiation between the two phones.
It’s unclear whether this means the iPhone 18e will get much better or the iPhone 18 will get worse, but it’s possible that the two phones will only be split when it comes to display panels and cameras.
Wrap
All in all, assuming the iPhone Air doesn’t end up being scrapped (which it certainly I hope it’s not like that) – this will be the new iPhone line in the future. Three in the fall and three more in the spring. Ultimately, this is expected to allow Apple to better segment its releases to reach the right audience.
This will likely end up increasing the average selling price of the iPhone as well, as people who want to get in on the launch hype will have no choice but to buy an iPhone 18 Pro, rather than a cheaper model.
It remains to be seen whether splitting the lineup will actually result in everything selling better, but that’s the preliminary theory.
What do you think of Apple splitting iPhone releases? Will you buy this fall or wait until spring? Let us know in the comments.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
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