Kuo: Apple to update flagship iPhone lineup twice per year to respond to competition
Apple could release new flagship iPhone models twice per year instead of once, launching Pro-branded models first, followed by standard ones in spring.
Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will release new flagship iPhone models biannually instead of annually. Intense competition in the smartphone market is said to be behind a change in marketing strategy. Kuo says the iPhone 17e and iPhone 18e are in the works, with Apple’s first foldable iPhone launching alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models and the iPhone 18 Air in the second half of 2026.
Apple will apparently release a second-generation foldable iPhone and a third-generation iPhone Air with a larger display in 2027. The first foldable iPhone is expected in fall 2026.
iPhone release schedule could switch to biannual updates
Apple’s new biannual launch strategy for the iPhone, according to Kuo, reportedly looks like this. Keep in mind that Kuo calls Apple’s rumored ultra-thin iPhone model “iPhone Slim,” with many other sources referring to it as “iPhone Air” instead.
Second half of 2025:
iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Slim, iPhone 17
First half of 2026:
iPhone 17e
Second half of 2026:
iPhone Foldable, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Slim
First half of 2027:
iPhone 18, iPhone 18e
Second half of 2027:
iPhone Foldable 2 (already kicked off), iPhone 19 Pro Max, iPhone 19 Pro, iPhone 19 Slim (with a larger display vs. 18 Slim)
“The primary reason Apple adopts a bi-annual iPhone release schedule, with launches in the first and second half of the year, is intense competition, particularly in China, prompting a shift in its marketing strategy,” the analyst wrote on Medium.
He notes that many Android makers release new models in the first half of the year, unlike Apple, which refreshes its main iPhone lineup one per year in September. Splitting launch timeframes to release standard iPhone models in the first half of the year could help Apple close the marketing gap, wrote Kuo.
“Due to intense competition, Apple needs to offer more iPhone models,“ read the post. “Launching them all in 2H risks diluting marketing efforts. For instance, the growing shipment ratio of the Pro series is overshadowing budget models.”
iPhone Pros in the fall, standard iPhones in the spring
Kuo’s analysis arrives shortly after The Information claimed that Apple will release the standard iPhone 18 models in spring 2027, with the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Air and Apple’s first foldable phone following in fall 2026.
“The iPhone 18 series will include updated versions of Apple’s thin iPhone, Pro and Pro Max, along with the new foldable device,“ the publication wrote. “In spring 2027, Apple plans to release the standard iPhone 18 and a successor to the more budget-friendly iPhone 16e, the people said.”
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggested that Apple could introduce a “bold” new iPhone Pro model in 2027, said to make more extensive use of glass. All iPhones since the iPhone 4s (2011) onwards were released in the fall, except the iPhone SE models and new mid-cycle iPhone colors, which historically arrive in the spring. Before the iPhone 4s, Apple updated the iPhone in the summer.
Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/05/05/kuo-apple-to-update-flagship-iphone-lineup-twice-per-year-to-respond-to-competition/
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