Apple's new base iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, iPhone Air 2 rumored for delayed launch to spring 2027

Apple won't be launching its new base iPhone 18 or budget-friendly iPhone 18e next year, where instead they will reportedly launch alongside a potential refreshed iPhone Air 2 smartphone in 2027.

In a new report from insider Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple will be unveiling three new high-end smartphones in 2026 -- the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, alongside the first foldable iPhone -- in fall 2026. But 6 months later, Apple will reportedly unleash the base iPhone 18, budget iPhone 18e, and refreshed iPhone Air 2, with this pattern of staged releases to continue for "years to come" says Gurman.

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Apple's second iPhone Air was reportedly delayed until fall 2027 to give the company time to add an additional rear camera, as well as a possible vapor chamber cooler and increased battery, reported The Information. The outlet also said that poor sales of the iPhone Air have also been another large reason why the new iPhone Air 2 is delayed.

Apple was specific in the way of naming its new iPhone Air without connecting it to the iPhone 17 series, which is why rumors went from it being called the iPhone 17 Air to just iPhone Air, as Apple didn't want to tie in the product to an annual release schedule. Now the purported iPhone Air 2 can come out two years out from its predecessor, without consumers thinking about the new iPhone Air 2 skipping a generation/year.

The new iPhone Air 2 smartphone should use a newer 2nm-based A20 processor, rather than "major structural changes" adds Gurman, as well as an increased battery and aforementioned second rear camera.