The yr has barely begun, and there are already loads of rumors concerning the subsequent crop of iPhones. From a attainable folding model to a brand-new iPhone 18 lineup, 2026 (and past) seems to be to be very fascinating for the tech large’s cellular division.
The iPhone 18 is rumored to have a number of adjustments from its predecessor, together with variable-aperture cameras, an under-display front-facing digicam for Face ID, a smaller Dynamic Island, an up to date A20 chip, and new, fascinating colours, together with a “coffee” brown. The most recent rumors counsel that the front-facing digicam will likely be relocated to the highest left nook of the display screen, and the Digital camera Management button will likely be simplified to a pressure-sensing perform. The Dynamic Island is also shrunken in favor of a hole-punch cutout.
However should you’re attempting to resolve whether or not to purchase an iPhone 17 now or get the iPhone 18, there’s one greatest consideration: The iPhone 18 would not exist. Apple hasn’t formally introduced it. And rumors say the iPhone 18 will not come out in September 2026 (to make room for the rumored iPhone Fold) and is perhaps launched in early 2027 as a substitute.
Personally, I do not assume you must wait over a yr for a brand new telephone, particularly should you’re contemplating an improve from an iPhone 14 or earlier mannequin. Listed here are just a few the reason why.
The iPhone 17 is nice (and so is the 17 Professional)
The iPhone 17 is considered one of our favourite telephones of 2025 and even earned a CNET Editor’s Alternative award.
In case you’re seeking to improve your telephone, there is a shiny new iPhone stocked in shops proper now, and it is a fairly good one. The iPhone 17 is a incredible handset for iPhone devotees, particularly for a base mannequin.
Not solely does the iPhone 17 provide a barely bigger 6.3-inch show (in comparison with the iPhone 16’s 6.1-inch display screen), nevertheless it additionally incorporates a variable refresh price of 1 to 120Hz, a primary amongst non-Professional iPhones. This allows you to allow an always-on show so you may look on the time or present sports activities scores with out waking your telephone. And, after all, the 120Hz ProMotion show additionally means elevated smoothness and responsiveness total, whether or not scrolling by way of social feeds or taking part in video video games.
Certain, the iPhone 18 may get improved cameras, however the ones on the iPhone 17 aren’t too shabby. It has two 48-megapixel cameras on the again (a wide-angle and an ultrawide), with the ultrawide being a large improve over the one on the iPhone 16 that solely had a 12-megapixel sensor. The 18-megapixel selfie digicam (which is on the remainder of the iPhone 17 line and the Air) can be an incredible improve, particularly with its Heart Stage characteristic that zooms out when extra folks enter the body or switches from portrait to panorama with out you rotating the telephone.
On high of that, the iPhone 17 has a sturdy aluminum body, is available in an array of pretty colours (lavender is my favourite) and has a powerful battery life. In my expertise, it lasts greater than a day with average use, and this appears to align with CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti’s experience as effectively.
If you wish to additional bridge the hole between this yr’s iPhone and subsequent yr’s mannequin, you can, after all, spend extra on the iPhone 17 Pro. It has a beefier A19 Professional chip, a a lot better battery life (17 Pro Max) in comparison with the iPhone 17 and has that third digicam on the again with a telephoto lens, which makes it much more versatile by providing a 4x magnification for zooming into distant topics. I ought to notice that battery life on the iPhone 17 and the common iPhone 17 Professional are almost an identical.
The iPhone 18’s potential launch date
Apple has a robust providing with the iPhone 17 (left-to-right), iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Professional Max and iPhone 17 Professional.
One other important cause to not wait to improve to the iPhone 18 is that it could not even be launched subsequent yr. Ready 9 months till subsequent fall is dangerous sufficient when you have an ailing telephone, however there are presently rumors that Apple may very well be switching up its iPhone launch technique.
Bloomberg has reported that the corporate plans to unveil the iPhone 18 Professional, the iPhone 18 Professional Max, and a brand new foldable within the fall of 2026. Nonetheless, the iPhone 18, iPhone 18E and a possible Air 2 are set to debut nearer to March 2027. That is over a yr away! You might actually improve to one of many 2026 fashions, however likelihood is they will not be as reasonably priced because the spring 2027 releases.
The older your telephone, the extra cause to not wait
In CNET Labs testing the battery life for the iPhone 17 collection scored effectively — even the Air scored in addition to the iPhone 15 did when it was launched.
In case you have the iPhone 15 or newer, you can get by ready for an additional yr for the iPhone 18. But when your telephone is far older than that and you want to a brand new iPhone, I see no cause to attend. That is particularly the case should you’re experiencing efficiency and battery points.
We normally suggest upgrading in case your present mannequin is 2 generations previous, particularly in case your telephone begins having points along with your day-to-day duties. One normal consensus is that in case your battery’s most capability has dropped beneath 80%, and you do not wish to change the battery, it is in all probability clever to improve. You’ll be able to verify this by going to your telephone’s Settings, choosing Battery after which Battery Well being.
You’ll be able to actually maintain your telephone for longer, and Apple typically offers software program and safety assist for the iPhone for effectively over 5 years. Nonetheless, you may additionally wish to maintain an eye fixed out in case there are newer options that do not work in your gadget, or if a more moderen iPhone’s digicam {hardware} would supply sufficient of an improve to be a noticeable enchancment.
However if you’re pondering that you simply’d prefer to get a brand new base-level iPhone anytime within the subsequent 12 months, there’s little cause to stay it out for the iPhone 18 when the iPhone 17 affords so many options.
