iPhone 18

Apple is months away from revealing the iPhone 17 lineup, but that isn't stopping the rumor mill from pumping out details about the potential iPhone 18. A lot depends on what happens with iPhone 17, but there are some specific features rumored for the 2026 lineup.

Significant design changes are expected with the iPhone 17 lineup, so if Apple follows through, it is unlikely much will change externally for iPhone 18. The thinner devices with the elongated camera bars will remain and likely be unchanged.

Whether or not the iPhone 17 Slim/Air sells well, Apple will likely have one ready for the iPhone 18 lineup. An iPhone 16e was released in early 2025, which will be followed by iPhone 17e in early 2026, and iPhone 18e in early 2027.

All eyes will be on Apple Intelligence and how it evolves in 2025, but 2026 will be the make or break year for the technology. The LLM-based Siri will likely debut in early 2026 and the iPhone 18 lineup will likely be marketed around the more powerful assistant.

iPhone 18 features

The A20 processor could be the star of the show given other external updates will be limited. It will be faster and more efficient thanks to being built on TSMC's 2nm process.

Two smartphones, one black and one white, angled to show their triple-lens cameras on a light gray background.

The iPhone 17 camera bar design would come to iPhone 18 as well

There won't be much else to say on the chip until it is closer to release. It will also be greatly influenced by what's revealed for the A19 processor used in iPhone 17.

Bezels are expected to keep shrinking or even disappear entirely. However, rumors of a bezel-less display fell off after a potential supply chain snag in development.

Under screen Face ID was also briefly rumored in 2023, but hasn't been repeated since. The technology is clearly in development at Apple, but every year it is rumored and pushed back again.

One of the biggest customer-facing upgrades will be to the Main Camera system. It is expected to get a variable aperture, which means users will be able to control the focus and bokeh using a physical lens element.

The selfie camera for iPhone 17 is expected to be 24MP, which would be used in iPhone 18 as well. It may be a pro feature for 2025 and in all models in 2026, but time will tell.

Expect a C-series modem to be used in iPhone 18, perhaps the C2, and for it to offer mmWave 5G. It should also get Apple's in-house Wi-Fi 7 chip.