Apple will skip the standard iPhone 18 this fall, leaving the iPhone 18 Pro as its cheapest new phone at a starting price that could reach $1,199.
Key Points:
- Apple has reportedly delayed the base iPhone 18 and a second-generation iPhone Air until early 2027.
- The fall lineup narrows to the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the foldable iPhone Ultra.
- TrendForce estimates parts for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro will cost 38% more than the previous generation.
iPhone 18 Pro Becomes Apple's Default
The lineup change was reported Wednesday, and it breaks a rhythm the company has kept for most of the past decade of iPhone launches. Apple normally sells a standard model beside its Pro tier every September, at a lower price.
Several forecasts push the base iPhone 18 and a second-generation iPhone Air into early 2027, which narrows the September event to three devices. Those are the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the foldable iPhone Ultra, a phone expected to sell above $2,000. The Pro is now set to anchor Apple's holiday marketing.
Apple will keep selling the iPhone 17, the iPhone 17e and the iPhone Air at lower prices, yet none of those phones will count as current-generation hardware once the fall campaign begins in earnest.
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TrendForce Flags 38% Cost Jump
TrendForce calculates that components for the 256GB iPhone 18 Pro will cost Apple 38% more than the parts inside its predecessor. Memory took up roughly 10% of the previous Pro generation's parts budget and about 34% in the third quarter of 2026, and the firm expects it to pass 40% next year. Memory now outranks the display and the processor.
The research firm expects Apple to accept thinner margins and pass along only part of that increase, though a $1,199 entry price would still force ordinary customers into Pro territory for the first time. Mark Gurman has forecast increases of $100 to $200 across the range, and carrier promotions may hide some of that from monthly bills.
Apple watchers place the keynote on Wednesday, Sept. 9, where rumored upgrades include a smaller Dynamic Island, a 2-nanometer chip, a variable aperture camera and satellite messaging.
Apple Lineup Shifts Follow iPhone 17
The tiers have shifted before, and not long ago. Last September Apple priced the iPhone 17 at $799, the iPhone Air at $999, the iPhone 17 Pro at $1,099 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max at $1,199, a $400 spread across the range. That lineup also retired the Plus model, making room for the thinner Air in the middle of the price range.
Shoppers had four new phones to choose from that morning, and the cheapest of them started at $799. This fall they will get three, and every one of them sits at the expensive end of the range.
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