Apple’s flagship smartphone hasn’t taken a year off since 2007, and barring a massive surprise, 2026 won’t be any different.
The Cupertino-based tech giant is widely expected to launch a new lineup of iPhones later this year, including both the new iPhone 18 line and the rumored iPhone Ultra, the company’s first-ever foldable. And as we await iOS 27 and the iPhone 18, plenty of interesting tidbits of information are trickling out. While we still haven’t actually seen any of the new Apple phones in an official capacity, we have plenty of info via the latest iPhone rumors and leaks.
So, here’s everything you need to know about the iPhone 18 lineup.
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iPhone 18 release date and pricing
To start, you should probably circle early September in your calendar. That has been the timeline for Apple’s big showcase event every year for a very long time, and there’s no reason to believe right now that Apple will change that for 2026.
But here’s the big unanswered question: Will the iPhone 18 cost more? So far, we haven’t heard any leaks about an iPhone 18 price increase, but don’t rule it out.
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 possible. 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.
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So, this one could go either way.
iPhone 18 models
Right now, the expectation is that Apple will release a base iPhone 18, an iPhone 18 Pro, and an iPhone 18 Pro Max later this year. One thing that might be a surprise (depending on how much tech news you follow) is that Apple is allegedly going to launch or announce a foldable iPhone alongside the normal iPhone 18 models.
However, to be clear, that phone is rumored to be called the iPhone Fold or iPhone Fold Ultra (or something along those lines). It’s not strictly a member of the iPhone 18 family, at least by name, so you’ll have to go to our rumor hub for that device to read more about it.
iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro design
Again, Apple has not released any official teasers or other imagery related to the iPhone 18 lineup yet, so anything that has been reported up to this point could theoretically be wrong. However, based on everything we’re hearing, it sounds like Apple isn’t really reinventing the wheel, design-wise. However, rumor has it, the iPhone 20 will bring big changes like a curved waterfall display.
Per our friends at CNET (Mashable and CNET are both owned by the same parent company, Ziff Davis), the display sizes will be roughly the same as last year:
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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 might be reasonable to expect much brighter displays than in previous years.
One other nugget is that the base iPhone 18 could have a downsized camera bump compared to previous models. There are also rumblings of a slightly redesigned Dynamic Island, with the pill-shaped notification hub potentially being made smaller in the iPhone 18 models. One alleged leaked image purports to show an iPhone 18 Pro with a downsized Dynamic Island cutout.
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Wondering about the iPhone 18 color options? We believe the color options for the iPhone 18 Pro have leaked already. Previous rumors indicated Apple was experimenting with a “deep red” color for the more expensive iPhone 18, and a new report from MacWorld more or less backs that up. According to their reporting, the color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro will be silver, grey, light blue, and something called “dark cherry,” which would probably be the previously reported wine red color.
Sadly, we think fans of black iPhones are out of luck again.
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iPhone 18: rumored hardware features
While specific software features will probably have to wait until Apple unveils iOS 27 at WWDC 2026, it’s not too early 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, while the base model only had 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, alongside 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 their batteries could be in excess of 5,000mAh, which would be an improvement over the iPhone 17 Pro.
In addition, the smaller camera cutout for the base model is reportedly only for the base model. It’s expected that Apple will retain the bigger plateau seen on the iPhone 17 Pro last year for the iPhone 18 Pro. Instant Digital posted in a separate Weibo leak that the back glass has been altered for the iPhone 18 Pro, resulting in a new unified look, as opposed to the two-tone look the iPhone 17 Pro had. Whether that change will have any effect on durability (or if it’s just an aesthetic difference) remains to be seen.
The iPhone 17 Pro has helped Apple break sales records in 2026.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable
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iPhone 18 camera rumors
Last but not least, there are supposedly at least two big camera changes that we know of right now for the iPhone 18 Pro models. First up: variable aperture.
That comes courtesy of Digital Chat Station on Weibo. If you don’t know, variable aperture would let the iPhone 18 Pro camera let in different amounts of light for different situations, improving photo quality when used properly. For instance, the bokeh effect famously associated with portrait mode on iPhones would be possible in-camera instead of through post-processing, resulting in better-looking shots.
In addition, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman — the source of many iPhone leaks and rumors — has reported that iOS 27 and the iPhone 18 will have a much-improved Camera app. For instance, Gurman says that Apple users will be able to customize the Camera app, which will also introduce new widgets. AI photo editing may also be on the menu, bringing iOS more in line with Android.
What about AI Siri?
Apple first promised users a newer, smarter, AI-powered Siri two years ago, and the company has since faced lawsuits after it failed to deliver. (The company recently settled a class action suit related to these claims for $250 million.) However, the tech world widely expects AI Siri to make her debut alongside iOS 27 with a big announcement at WWDC 2026 on June 8.
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Technically, this isn’t a feature unique to the iPhone 18 lineup. Presumably, every iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence will also support the new Siri, and we’ll probably know for sure come June 8. Still, if you’re on an older phone and plan to upgrade to iPhone 18, the new Gemini-powered Siri will probably be on board.
There will surely be more to say about the iPhone 18 in the coming months before its alleged September launch. We’ll keep you updated as best as we can.
