Pegatron, an Apple supplier, indicated on its second-quarter 2026 earnings call that the standard iPhone 18 model will not ship until the first quarter of 2027, effectively confirming a split launch schedule for the iPhone 18 series.
Pegatron said one of its customers will change its usual smartphone shipment schedule; the comments align with expectations that Apple plans to release the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and a foldable “iPhone Ultra” this September, with the standard iPhone 18 following in the first quarter of 2027.
The standard iPhone 11 through iPhone 17 all launched alongside Pro and Pro Max models in September, so postponing the base iPhone 18 to around March 2027 would be a notable change to Apple’s usual cadence.
iPhone 18 launch timeline and related models
Split-launch reports have circulated over the past year from sources including analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and former reporter Wayne Ma, and Apple supplier Largan Precision also hinted at the change earlier this year.
A lower-end iPhone 18e and an iPhone Air 2 are also expected to be released around March 2027. In total, six new iPhone models are slated to launch by the end of March.
