According to multiple reports and supply chain watchers, Apple is planning to move away from its long-standing all-at-once September iPhone reveal.

Instead, the company is expected to split future launches across the year, prioritising higher-end devices in the autumn and pushing more affordable or mainstream models into the following spring.

If that strategy holds, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max - alongside Apple’s long-rumoured foldable iPhone - would still arrive in late 2026, while the regular iPhone 18 would not appear until spring 2027 with the 18e and Air 2.

That gap would leave the iPhone 17 as Apple’s latest “standard” model for more than 18 months - an unprecedented stretch in the modern iPhone era.

Analysts see the move as a response to Apple’s increasingly crowded lineup.

With entry-level models like the iPhone 16e, the slimmed-down iPhone Air, multiple Pro variants and a foldable on the horizon, Apple could have eight or more iPhones on sale at the same time by the end of 2026.

Staggering releases would help Apple avoid cannibalising its own sales, giving each model more breathing room in the spotlight.

It could also make life easier for Apple’s manufacturing partners.

Spreading launches across two windows reduces pressure on suppliers, smooths production ramps for new technologies and evens out revenue across fiscal quarters instead of concentrating it heavily in the holiday season.

The shift would also mirror changes already happening elsewhere in Apple’s portfolio, with Macs and iPads now refreshed on far less predictable schedules.

While Apple has not confirmed any of these plans, the growing consensus is that the era of a single annual iPhone moment may be ending - replaced by a more flexible, tiered approach designed to support a much broader range of devices.