Reports Indicate iPhone 18 Launch In 1st Half Of 2027

So far, there is still a lot of time left for the launch of Apple’s latest iPhone lineup debut and the leaks around the new phones are showing no signs of stopping.

The main highlight of this year’s launch event is undoubtedly going to be the new iPhone Fold. In addition to this, Apple’s candybar flagships will also continue to hog the limelight with upgrades to camera, processor and design.

Expected Launch Of iPhone 18

Several sources including Ming-Chi Kuo, Bloomberg, and The Information have reported that Apple is planning to bifurcate the launch of the iPhone 18 lineup.

The sources indicate that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold will launch later this year, followed by the base model iPhone 18 next spring.

Corroborating the timeline, a new report from Nikkei Asia also talks about the same.

So far, Apple has at least five new iPhone models in the pipeline as mentioned in the report.

Out of these, three are expected to launch in the second half of 2026 including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Fold.

Following this timeline, the standard iPhone 18 is expected to be launched in the first half of 2027.

Motivation Behind Timeline Shift

Besides this, there is a new iPhone Air in the works, but the report says it’s “not yet clear when shipments of the Air will start, but they are not expected this year.”

Moving ahead, this report also outlines Apple’s motivation behind this timeline shift as splitting up the iPhone launch would help Apple in optimising its supply, a particularly important task amid ongoing memory shortages.

Besides this, Apple will also have more flexibility in promoting the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro at their respective launches from the marketing perspective.

According to Nikkei Asia, Apple will soon host its “regular meeting” with suppliers at Apple Park.

Although, now they are planning to expand this event to include “more component makers and materials suppliers to ensure supply chain continuity for the year.”

In a separate development, analyst Jeff Pu published a new report reiterating his expectations for the iPhone 18 lineup. Nothing new as It’s all reiteration of what he’s previously reported.