What Can We Expect From The iPhone 18 Range?
Officially, Apple hasn’t said a peep about the new iPhone 18 range – but we can still guess what’s coming. September usually marks the release of the latest set of iPhones, and already, unofficial leaks and rumours are fuelling speculation. Will the full range be staggered for the first time? Can we expect Apple’s first foldable phone? Will they be able to hold prices for an extra year?
To dig deeper into what to expect, here are all the rumours and leaks about the forthcoming range of the UK’s most popular smartphone brand.
The release dates are changing
The strongest rumour is that Apple isn’t going to release the full complement of iPhone 18s straight away.
Historically, they’ve unveiled most of the models – the iPhone, the iPhone Pro and the iPhone Pro Max – in September, following with the budget version in March or April.
But this year, they’re doing things differently. The company will launch the 18 series starting with the two Pro versions in autumn still – most likely in September. Then later, reportedly in spring 2027, they’ll continue with the standard version, the budget version, the 18e and the second iteration of the ultra slim iPhone Air.
It’s a clever move that solves the current shortage in chips. Moreover, it works for the brand as it leans into the kudos that comes with being the first to have a new model. Now, only those who are willing to spend a lot more get first bragging rights!
Could we see the first foldable iPhone?
As Sony, Motorola and Google are making great headway in the foldable phone space, rumours are swirling that Apple are about to enter this market.
What can we expect? For starters, it could well be called the iPhone Ultra, it will be made of titanium, and the quality of the hinge (a common bugbear with foldable phones) will be of a premium standard – we reckon that’s why they held out launching their foldable.
It’s set to have solid camera hardware, with two 48MP rear cameras (likely a standard wide and an ultrawide) and two front-facing cameras: one for use when the device is closed and another when it’s unfolded. Sadly, a telephoto lens is missing – a niggle if you like taking pics and videos of concerts, for example.
With a large display and the split screen allowing for multi-tasking, foldables often drain their battery quicker, so it’s great news that the battery is expected to be the largest ever in an iPhone. It’s set to get a 5,100–5,200mAh capacity, like the rest of the 18 Pro range, if rumours are true. Combined with better chips, it’s expected to last a day or longer, which is impressive for their opening move in the foldables market.
We’re hearing rumours that due to manufacturing issues, it will be launched after the Pro and Pro Max are released – perhaps even early next year. We’ll no doubt get more news and teasers at Apple’s event in September.
A new chip that superpowers phone use
Chips are the brains of smartphones – they’re the central processing unit, that take in commands, and turn them into actions. The better ones do it smoothly and instantaneously, so the whole operation feels slick and intuitive. So it’s a coup that the iPhone 18 Pro models look set to get the latest A20 Pro chip.
Compared to the previous version, the A20 Pro chip offers a 10-15% performance increase for the same amount of power (or a decrease in power, for the same amount of performance, depending on how you look at it). That improvement makes all the difference as AI calls for more compute.
A cleaner front screen
Apple has always looked like a premium, market-leading phone, and the iPhone 18 is not expected to deviate from that.
While the general look and sizes are rumoured to stay the same – the 6.1” display for the 18e and 6.3” display for the 18 and 18 Pro, and 6.9” for the Pro Max – we hear of a noticeable screen change in the 18 Pro versions.
Apple is expected to make camera components like the FaceID technology more discreet, so you’ll only see a small hole punch for the selfie-camera and the Dynamic Island will shrink, giving it a cleaner look.
However, there’s a strong chance we’ll see new colours with this range. Expect a new Dark Cherry, alongside Light Blue, Dark Grey, and Silver. Rumours have it that Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue will be discontinued.
Camera with variable aperture
Budding photographers will be delighted to hear that there’s a big improvement with the camera in the iPhone 18 Pro models: they’re both expected to have a variable aperture, which allows differing amount of light in – something Samsung and Huawei already offer. This was a much-requested feature to improve the quality of shots and give photographers more control and flexibility. It means brightness and the depth of field can be changed manually, rather than only in editing software afterwards, so you can expect more creative shots, richer portrait pics and better nighttime and action shots.
Other than this, the Pro models are rumoured to offer a 48MP telephoto lens with an improved optical zoom and a 48MP ultrawide lens with an upgrade to its sensors to capture more detail. The selfie camera may well get an upgrade from 18MP to 24MP. No doubt the software will have improved too. In all, it’s a great leap forward from the previous model, and may well justify the premium cost of the iPhone Pros. Talking of which….
A small price increase
There’s no consensus on the prices of the iPhone 18 range, but with rising manufacturing costs, plus a chip and memory shortage, it’s very likely to increase from the iPhone 17 range, where the standard phone cost £799, the 17 Pro cost £1,099 and the 17 Pro Max cost £1,199. Time to get saving!
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