Apple might be giving us more to bite into come 2026

New iPhone releases twice a year? You might want to rethink your budget. According to The Information, Apple might be giving us more to bite into come 2026. As EnterpriseAM reported last October, the Silicon Valley tech powerhouse is getting ready to steer away from their standardized fall release date for their iPhone line-up, and instead opting for a split release schedule.

Why the shift? With the upcoming 2025 iPhone line-up being an open secret — the iPhone 17 is set to feature a minor redesign to the Pro models and introduce a razor thin brand new iPhone Air — Apple is already working on the 2026 iPhone 18 models, and they’ve got ambitious plans. The Verge reports that 2026 will be the year Apple finally puts its flexible display patent to work, with the speculated release of a foldable iPhone — a device seemingly too advanced to manufacture alongside the complete existing line-up.

Mark your calendars for 4Q 2026… and 2Q 2027. If a Pro model is what rocks your boat, you won’t need to readjust your annual iPhone upgrade routine. Apple’s anticipated foldable iPhone — rumoured to have a book-style form alternating between a 5.7 inch display and an 8 inch display — will likely launch alongside the Pro models and the to-be-introduced Air model in 4Q 2026. But the base iPhone 18 and a budget-friendly follow-up to the recently released iPhone 16E are expected to follow in 2Q 2027.

This isn’t the first time Apple has done this. Since the launch of the first gen iPhone in 2007, Apple has more or less committed to a stable release timeline, spanning late 3Q to early 4Q. In 2016, Apple began releasing its budget-friendly iPhones in 2Q each year, with its successors sticking to the same schedule, and the most recent edition — the 16E — getting its flowers mid-1Q of this year.

Is this the beginning of the end for the non-Pro iPhone? iPhone sales have been on a downturn, as most recently evidenced by the iPhone 16, which debuted with 12% lower sales than 2023’s iPhone 15 — which might explain why the standard model has been pushed aside in favour of its Pro counterparts.

A tale of two countries? Apple’s upcoming split-release schedule is set to streamline its manufacturing process, making the production of a six iPhone line-up more manageable. But it's difficult to ignore the elephant in the room — Trump’s tariffs. According to Reuters, iPhone production will be split up between India and China, with US-bound iPhones planned to be manufactured in India by 2026 to navigate higher tariffs in China. It is possible then that this is an influencing factor behind the decision to introduce a split-release schedule.

Is upgrading simply not on the horizon for you? Here’s how to give your current iPhone a new lease on life.