00:04What if I told you there won't be an iPhone 18 in 2026? If the latest rumours are true,
00:09Apple will release new iPhones in September this year, as it does every year, but for the first
00:13time since 2016, it looks like the company will be hosting two separate in-person launch events
00:17for its next smartphone lineup. The first, in September, will likely be focused on the
00:20iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and possibly even the foldable iPhone Ultra, while the second
00:25could take place in Spring 2027 and look set to focus on the regular iPhone 18 and the iPhone
00:2918e. From now on then, Apple could essentially be splitting its iPhone launches into premium
00:34and affordable categories, with the pricier Pro and Ultra models arriving six months before
00:37the cheaper base model and iPhone E in any given year. That strategy does get a bit muddled by
00:42the iPhone Air 2, which, if it does ever get released, is rumoured to drop alongside the
00:46iPhone 18 and 18e in Spring next year. But the fact remains that we're likely to see September
00:50reserved for Apple's Pro and foldable models moving forward, with everything else coming
00:54the following year. As for why Apple is potentially ripping up its tried and tested release plans,
00:58we don't have any official answers, but we can, of course, speculate as to the reasons
01:01for the change. Firstly, almost every other smartphone manufacturer already staggers its
01:05smartphone launches. Samsung, for instance, has long hosted separate launch events for
01:08its Galaxy S and Z-Series phones, just as Google regularly launches its A-Series Pixel phones
01:13around six months after its mainline models. Having two separate iPhone launch events means
01:17Apple can target two different types of consumer more effectively and keep momentum for the
01:20iPhone going throughout the year, rather than enjoying one big splash of publicity every September.
01:24Secondly, the base iPhone 17 is selling very, very well. It's the best-selling phone of
01:292026 so far, and with rumours swirling that Apple is planning on downgrading the iPhone
01:3318 to cut costs, it makes sense to extend the shelf life of the iPhone 17 as much as possible.
01:37That cost-cutting strategy is also key to understanding why Apple could be about to mix up its really
01:41schedule. Prolific leakers have suggested that Apple will bring certain manufacturing downgrades
01:45to the iPhone 18 to better align it with the iPhone 18e from a supply chain level, at least
01:49to a greater degree than the iPhone 17 and 17e are currently. In other words, the iPhone
01:5318 could be a worse phone than the iPhone 17, but Apple is deliberately repositioning its
01:58base model as a stablemate of the E line rather than the Pro line. It also makes sense that
02:02all of this could kick off under the tenure of new CEO John Turnus.
02:05Apple has probably been planning an iPhone strategy shakeup for some time now, but it makes sense
02:09that Turnus should be the one to introduce a new type of iPhone in the iPhone Ultra and a
02:12new type of base model in the iPhone 18. What do you think? Is Apple right to mess with
02:16its winning formula, or would you rather keep seeing one big iPhone event every year?
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