Apple Is Splitting Its iPhone Launch in Two
For about a decade the September iPhone event has worked the same way. Whole lineup, announced at once, on shelves within weeks. That looks like it's ending. A supplier report out of Taiwan has added weight to months of rumours that Apple is holding back its cheapest new iPhone until 2027.
Where the claim comes from
It traces to Pegatron, one of Apple's assembly partners, which reportedly confirmed on an earnings call that the base iPhone 18 has slipped to next year. Suppliers normally say nothing about unannounced products, so that's unusual on its face — though the report reached English coverage through translation, and it's fair to assume some nuance didn't survive the trip.
What makes it worth taking seriously is that it isn't a lone data point. The same split-launch structure has been kicking around since May. The supplier account matches it instead of contradicting it, which is the useful kind of corroboration.
Autumn gets three phones. Spring gets the rest.
Under this plan, September covers the iPhone 18 Pro, the 18 Pro Max, and the iPhone Ultra — Apple's first foldable. Everything else waits.
Code in the latest iOS 27 beta suggests what's in the second wave: the base iPhone 18, an entry-level 18e, and the iPhone Air 2, all expected early in 2027. The Air 2 isn't cheap by anyone's standard, but it should still come in under the Pro models.
Here's the practical upshot. The least expensive new iPhone you can buy this autumn is last year's phone. If you're the sort of person who picks up the standard model every September, you're now looking at a six-month wait, a Pro, or older hardware.
And prices are moving
The delay lands next to a second squeeze. Memory costs have climbed hard across the industry, and Apple is rumoured to be preparing increases of up to $100 — not just on the new phones, but on the older ones still being sold.
That pairing is what makes this genuinely annoying. A delayed model is just a calendar problem. A delayed model plus a price bump on the alternatives leaves you with fewer good moves.
So what should you actually do
If you were holding out for the standard iPhone 18, your wait got a lot longer, and the older phone you'd buy in the meantime might cost more by the time you're standing there. If you were buying a Pro, nothing's changed — September is still September.
There's also a decent argument for going early. Prices on current models are stable right now. The rumoured hikes haven't happened. If you were going to upgrade in the next few months regardless, that gap is where the money is.
Worth remembering
Apple hasn't confirmed any of this and doesn't comment on unreleased products. Supplier reports have been wrong before, translated ones more so, and beta code tells you what a company is preparing, not what it ships. Price-hike rumours in particular have a lousy hit rate on the actual numbers.
What's changed is the weight behind it. In May this was a rumour. Now it's a rumour with beta code and a supplier account standing next to it. September will settle the argument.
Image: Torsten Dettlaff, via Pexels
