Report: Apple’s iPhone 18 Series May Introduce New Bi-Annual Release Schedule

Apple may want to shake up its iPhone release schedule starting with the iPhone 18 series, according to a new paywalled report from The Information (via Spyglass). The company may plan to release the “Pro” versions of the iPhone 18 in the fall of 2026, with the standard iPhone 18 and probably a cheaper “iPhone 18E” to follow in the Spring of 2027.

The report also confirms that Apple will launch a thin version of the iPhone 17 (iPhone 17 Air?) alongside the regular iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, but things should start to get interesting in the fall of 2026. That’s when Apple’s first foldable iPhone may launch alongside a thin iPhone 18 (iPhone 18 Air?), the iPhone 18 Pro, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

“Also next year, Apple plans to stagger the release of its iPhone by only releasing the premium, more expensive Pro models in the fall and delaying the standard iPhone model—in this case the iPhone 18—until the following spring, according to three people involved in the iPhone supply chain.

The iPhone 18 series will include updated versions of Apple’s thin iPhone, Pro and Pro Max, along with the new foldable device. In spring 2027, Apple plans to release the standard iPhone 18 and a successor to the more budget-friendly iPhone 16e, the people said.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo agreed with this new staggered iPhone 18 release schedule in a separate report published earlier today. “The primary reason Apple adopts a bi-annual iPhone release schedule, with launches in 1H and 2H, is intense competition, particularly in China, prompting a shift in its marketing strategy,” the analyst explained.

The report from The Information also mentions some new details on the “iPhone 17 Air” coming in the fall of 2025. Due to the thinner design, battery life will reportedly be inferior to other models, something Apple may address with a new phone case with an integrated battery pack. However, that may not be the only compromise Apple could make on this new thin iPhone.

However, the smaller size of the new thin model will require compromises to its capabilities. The device will contain only a single speaker instead of the two speakers that Apple’s other phones usually have, one rear camera lens instead of the three in Apple’s flagship phones, and reduced battery life. Internal testing shows that battery life for the thin model will fall short of that of previous iPhones. The percentage of users who can go a single day without recharging the thin phone will be between 60% and 70%. For other models, that metric is between 80% and 90%, one of the people said.

To solve this, Apple is developing an optional accessory—a phone case meant for the thin model that also contains a battery pack, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Apple is reportedly uncertain about the sales potential for the “iPhone 17 Air” to the point where the company isn’t planning to mass produce it. “The level of consumer demand for the new thin iPhone is so uncertain that Apple’s manufacturing partners in Asia are dedicating only about 10% of their production capacity to the new model, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. They’re reserving most of their production for the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pro, which will account for around 40% and 25% of total production, respectively,” the people told The Information.