Apple is expected to announce several products at its September event, but the iPhone 18 might not be among them. According to reports from Taiwan’s Economic Daily News citing an earnings call from Apple supplier Pegatron, the company plans to alter its traditional release schedule, pushing the base iPhone 18 model to a spring launch.
Breaking the Decade-Long Hardware Cadence
For the first time since 2016, Apple is reportedly splitting its smartphone lineup into distinct launch windows. Under this updated timetable, this week’s September 2026 event will prioritize high-end devices.
Meanwhile, the standard iPhone 18 and an updated iPhone 18e will not arrive until the first quarter of next year, as noted by techradar.com. An updated iPhone Air is also slated for that spring window. This staggered rollout mirrors Apple’s strategy from earlier this year when it released the cheaper iPhone 17e in March, effectively piloting a biannual release framework.
Silicon Scarcity and the Global Chip Squeeze
Supply chain pressures have heavily influenced this scheduling pivot. Apple disclosed in its most recent earnings call that it faces ongoing struggles to secure sufficient silicon inventory to meet baseline hardware demand, independent.co.uk reported. The surging compute requirements of the broader AI industry have driven up component costs across the board.
Those rising expenses have already forced upward price adjustments on iPads and Macs earlier this year.
Market Dynamics and Manufacturing Downgrades
Counterpoint data cited by techradar.com indicates that the base iPhone 17 remains the best-selling smartphone of 2026 so far. Extending the retail lifespan of current baseline devices shields Apple from immediate volume drops.
At the same time, supply chain leaks tracked by techradar.com via industry analyst Fixed Focus Digital suggest that the upcoming base iPhone 18 could feature targeted manufacturing downgrades to align more closely with the budget-focused 18e tier. By separating the launch timelines, Apple can market its premium Pro and foldable Ultra models to early adopters in the autumn, while reserving its more affordable hardware for a separate consumer segment six months later.
