Apple is expected to launch its standard iPhone 18, the iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2 together in spring 2027, the first spring debut for a base iPhone.
Key Points:
- Apple's standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 are expected to launch together in spring 2027.
- A tipster says iPhone 18 production could start in late November ahead of a March launch.
- The base iPhone 18 is expected to start at $899, matching the current iPhone 17 price.
iPhone 18 Production Plans
A Weibo tipster known as Fixed Focus Digital said production of the standard iPhone 18 could start in late November, ahead of a March 2027 launch alongside the iPhone 18e. The leaker described the planned output as large, though the same account had reportedly signaled days earlier that stock would be trimmed.
A roadmap published Sunday places the spring trio ahead of a redesigned iPhone 20 Pro and an iPhone Duo 2 next fall. It expects the base model to use the A20 chip and Apple's C2 modem and to start at $899, the price the iPhone 17 has carried since a $100 increase in September. The iPhone 18e should get little more than a chip upgrade, from the A19 to the A20, while the Air 2 adds an ultrawide camera and a battery reportedly as large as 3,500 mAh.
Apple has not confirmed any of these plans.
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David Phelan's March Forecast
Tech columnist David Phelan expects Apple to unveil the trio in early March, around Mobile World Congress, which runs Mar. 1-4 in Barcelona next year. Apple introduced the iPhone 17e on Mar. 2, the opening day of this year's show, and put it on sale Mar. 11. Phelan predicts all three spring phones will reach stores together on a Friday, most likely Mar. 12 or Mar. 19.
The base model matters, since the standard iPhone 17 led global smartphone sales in the first two quarters of 2026, taking 6% of unit sales in each, according to market tracker Counterpoint Research. Apple reporter Michael Burkhardt called the Air 2 the spring phone to watch, arguing a second lens matters mainly because buyers tend to see a single camera as less premium.
iPhone Air 2 Detour
The Air 2 has already slipped once. In November 2025, Apple reportedly told engineers and suppliers it was pulling the model from its schedule without naming a new date, after weak sales of the original Air. Fixed Focus Digital later claimed the phone would make the September 2026 event, but Apple's fall lineup included only the iPhone 18 Pro, the Pro Max and the foldable iPhone Duo.
Instead, Apple reportedly reworked the design to fit an ultrawide camera, a change that kept the phone out of September's launch. The original Air, released in 2025, shipped with a single rear camera.
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