The latest iPhone 18 news, leaks, and rumors: Release date, price increases, new colors

MichaelSeptember 3, 20269 min read

Latest iPhone 18 rumors at a glance:

Release date: We’re expecting the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to be announced at a Sept. 9 launch event, but rumor has it the iPhone 18 may not arrive until early 2027.
Colors: Possible leaks point to four main color options for the Pro models this year: light blue, silver, dark gray/black, and dark cherry.
Key upgrades: Besides iOS 27 and the Siri AI beta, we’re expecting bigger batteries, major camera improvements (including variable aperture for the main camera), and a smaller Dynamic Island.
Pricing: Most new phones have arrived with price increases in 2026, and we think a starting price increase is all but certain for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, sadly.

Apple’s flagship smartphone hasn’t taken a year off from its updates since 2007, and barring a massive surprise, 2026 won’t be different — but according to the latest iPhone 18 rumors, there will be a twist this year.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is widely expected to launch a new lineup of iPhones later this year, including the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone Ultra, the company’s first-ever foldable. We’re also preparing for the updated operating system, iOS 27, and Siri AI. However, the regular iPhone 18, the 18e, and the new iPhone Air may not arrive until March 2027.

We should know for sure next week, as Apple recently confirmed its fall iPhone launch event will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 9. One of Mashable’s reporters received an invite to the big show, and we’ll be reporting live from Apple Park. This year’s event has the tagline, “Surprise and Shine.”

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As we await the Sept. 9 “Surprise and Shine” launch event, even more iPhone 18 rumors continue to trickle out. Ahead of the big reveal, here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Apple smartphones.

iPhone 18 lineup pricing

On Sept. 9, expect to see new Apple CEO John Ternus take the stage for the keynote. The devices he introduces, alas, may put more of a dent in your wallet.

Thanks to the ongoing RAM shortage caused by the AI industry (aka RAMageddon), tons of smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles are seeing huge price hikes. Experts who’ve spoken to Mashable say that trend isn’t going to stop anytime soon.

As the world’s number-one smartphone maker, Apple has advantages over its rivals, but a price increase is extremely likely. Apple recently raised prices on a variety of its products, and outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook even took the unusual step of preparing us for a pricier iPhone.

“Price increases are unavoidable,” Cook told the Wall Street Journal in a June interview. The Journal quoted an analysis showing that the memory chip components in the iPhone 18 Pro will cost Apple $150 more than those in the iPhone 17 Pro. For context, the market intelligence firm International Data Corporation just reported that Apple’s memory costs for the iPhone have spiked by 400 percent.

Expect the phones to cost at least $100 to $150 more than their predecessors (check the iPhone 17 prices for reference). The Journal estimated the iPhone 18 Pro could cost $1,399, or $300 more than last year. Apple analysts are coming to similar conclusions; one research note seen by 9to5Mac predicted $250 to $300 price increases.

iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Ultra launch dates

The iPhone 18 Pro Max smartphones at last year’s iPhone launch event.
Credit: CNET

Barring a huge turn under Ternus, we believe Apple will announce the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone Ultra on Sept. 9, followed by a release in mid-September. Last year, the iPhone 17 Pro Max was available in stores Sept. 19, for reference.

The iPhone 18, however, alongside the cheaper iPhone 18e, and the next-gen iPhone Air, are rumored to come next year, likely in March 2027. This possible delayed release is backed up a recent spanner-in-the-works report, which found several third-party companies have gone live with smartphone cases for iPhone 18 Pro and foldable iPhone Ultra devices but not the base iPhone 18.

iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro design

The pace of iPhone 18 leaks has definitely increased after a massive hack exposed thousands of Apple’s internal documents, reportedly including iPhone 18 Pro suppliers and tests.

Apple itself hasn’t released any official teasers or imagery for the iPhone 18 lineup yet, so anything reported to date could be wrong. Still, from the sum total of all reports, it sounds like Apple isn’t really reinventing the wheel, design-wise. But Ternus, a hardware guy, is reportedly bringing the company’s industrial design group into the center of the Apple fold.

Looking further into the future, the iPhone 20 is said to bring bigger changes, including a curved waterfall display.

Per our friends at CNET (Mashable and CNET are both owned by Ziff Davis), the display sizes will be roughly the same as last year:

iPhone 18: 6.3 inches
iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3 inches
iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9 inches

In August, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (the source of most iPhone 18 news) shared on X that popular phone case maker Otterbox is already selling iPhone 18 Pro cases, even though the phone hasn’t been announced yet. This was noteworthy because the case’s packaging indicates that both the 17 Pro and 18 Pro fit in the same case, suggesting the two phones are exactly the same size, as CNET suggested.

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However, the display quality might be a little different this year. Prominent leaker Instant Digital shared on Chinese social media that Apple’s brightness demands are unusually high this year, so it would be reasonable to expect much brighter displays than in previous years.

Some iPhone 18 models could also have a smaller camera bump compared to previous models. There are reports of a noticeably smaller Dynamic Island on the screen itself, with the pill-shaped notification hub potentially being made smaller in the iPhone 18 Pro models. One alleged leaked image purports to show an iPhone 18 Pro with a downsized Dynamic Island cutout.

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iPhone 18: The rumored hardware features

So we know the software the iPhone 18 will run: iOS 27, introduced at WWDC 2026. Time to start talking about some of the internal hardware changes Apple is reportedly making to the iPhone 18 lineup.

For starters, it sounds like the lineup will have a standardized 12GB RAM count across the board. In previous years, the Pro models had 12GB of RAM, while the base model had only 8GB. According to Korean outlet The Bell, Apple will be upgrading the base model to the Pro models in that regard. It’s also widely expected that Apple will adopt new A20 and A20 Pro chips for the base and Pro models, respectively. Apple’s latest silicon releases have better supported AI, and we expect that to be a major focus of the A20.

Other possible hardware upgrades include:

A new C2 modem for improved cellular connectivity
An improved LTPO+ display
Improved N2 chip for wireless connectivity
Hotspot and AirDrop reliability improvements
5G satellite support

As for the battery, leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo reported that the batteries will finally be upgraded to 5,000mAh, which would be a big improvement over the iPhone 17 Pro. This year, 5,000mAh has become the new standard for flagship phones, including in Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Instant Digital posted in a separate Weibo leak that the back glass of the iPhone 18 Pro has been altered, resulting in a new unified look, as opposed to the two-tone look of the iPhone 17 Pro. Whether that change will affect durability (or if it’s just an aesthetic difference) remains to be seen. Other possible upgrades include

What will the iPhone 18 colors be?

woman holding three iphone 18 pro max phones in magnetic cases

The iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to come in four colors: silver, black/dark gray, burgundy, and light blue.
Credit: ESR Tech

Courtesy of leakers, we may already know the iPhone 18 Pro colors. If that’s the case, the must-see equivalent of the iPhone 17’s unforgettable “cosmic orange” shade is said to be a wine-like “dark cherry.”

Based on numerous leaks, the most likely color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro will be:

Silver
Dark gray (or black)
Light blue
Burgundy

Third-party smartphone case makers might have also revealed too much ahead of the launch, with case makers such as ESR, Benks, and Torras listing cases for Apple’s upcoming line. ESR has gone live with four case color options for the “iPhone 2026 Pro Max”: deep burgundy, light gray, black, and misty blue, while product photos on the website show what the phones might look like in these colors.

Fans of black iPhones are still holding out hope. The rumored dark gray color looks black in supposed dummy units shared by leakers like Sonny Dickson.

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What about the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Several reports out of China say that because the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a bigger battery, it may be a bit of a chunky boy.

We’re not talking about a huge increase in weight and width: a quarter of a millimeter in thickness and 7 grams more, respectively. Still, every gram counts on the heftiest iPhone model you can get — so iPhone 17 Pro Max upgraders may want to check that their pocket linings can bear the bulk of a larger iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The iPhone 17 Pro has helped Apple break sales records in 2026.
Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

iPhone 18 camera rumors

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, a source of many spot-on iPhone reports, says the iPhone 18 Pro, in particular, will have “some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the lineup’s history.”

Why? First, the telephoto camera has a larger aperture. But more important is the variable aperture.

First reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, variable aperture is a huge deal. It would let the iPhone 18 Pro camera capture varying amounts of light in different situations — potentially leading to a huge leap in photo quality if you know what you’re doing.

For instance, the bokeh effect famously associated with portrait mode on iPhones would be possible in-camera rather than through software processing, resulting in more natural and generally better-looking shots.

While all of that sounds great, leaker Ice Universe poured some water on the fire by claiming that variable aperture would be exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro Max. This is the first indication, as far as we can tell, that the regular Pro won’t have a variable aperture. That would certainly be disappointing to people who want the feature but don’t want a gigantic phone, but perhaps the Pro Max’s size gives it an advantage in terms of including the technology.

For video makers, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumored to capture more cinematic videos as well, with features such as stabilization and AI editing tools.

What about Siri AI?

Of course, one of the first things many users will want to know about the iPhone 18 when they get their hands on one: what is the new, revamped, AI-upgraded Siri experience like?

If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try it yourself by installing the iOS 27 beta.

The new features include Siri becoming an actual chatbot with its own app. It can also understand what’s on your screen and help you write, create images, and edit photos.

For an overview, check out our guides to iOS 27 and Siri AI’s top features.

Mashable will be reporting live from Apple Park during the Sept. 9 “Surprise and Shine” keynote event, so check back as we report in real-time on the latest announcements.