Forget the iPhone 17, 2026 and 2027 are shaping up to be massive iPhone
Information on the iPhone 17 series continues to unofficially spill out, and while a new-look camera setup is set to divide opinion this isn’t the iPhone you need to be getting excited about. I’m instead talking iPhone 18, iPhone 19 and iPhone Fold.
The latest reports have shed more light on the future of iPhone, and if the rumors turn out to be accurate we’re in for significant iPhone installments in 2026 and 2027.
That’s not to say there won’t be anything to write home about on the iPhone 17 series. “Inside sources” claim the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will be the first iPhone with a vapor chamber cooling system for improved heat management, which could see Apple shift to lighter aluminium frames (bye bye titanium?).
And let’s not forget the on-going chatter around the super slim iPhone 17 Air, which Apple is apparently lining up to directly rival the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. But compared to what’s rumored to be coming in the next couple of years, you may want to hold off an upgrade this year.
2026: the foldable iPhone
Apple has been sitting back and watching Android phone manufacturers bring foldable phones to market, iterating and improving year over year. They’ve basically shown Apple all the pitfalls of getting into the foldable market, and how to solve them.
So if Apple is to launch the much-rumored iPhone Fold, it’s unlikely we’ll be served up a device which feels first-gen. What’s more likely is a slick, polished foldable capable of challenging the established names, while delivering the form factor in a uniquely Apple way.
And according to respected analyst Mung-Chi Kuo, Apple is currently on track to deliver the iPhone Fold in the second half of 2026.
If the foldable iPhone is to arrive next year, it will likely appear as part of the iPhone 18 series, which is being tipped to feature a significant advancement in chipset technology.
The A20 chip expected to be used in these iPhones is said to be the first based on a 2nm architecture. What does that mean? Smaller transistors, allowing companies to pack more into a chip, resulting in significant performance enhancements. If these reports are true, the iPhone Fold might well be one of the most powerful foldables on the market.
We’re also seeing some enticing iPhone Fold specs being rumored, as well-known leaker Digital Chat Station claims the phone will feature a 7.58-inch inner display, titanium frame and dual 48MP rear cameras.
While the screen size would be a little smaller than the Oppo Find N5 (8.12 inches), Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (8 inches) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (7.6 inches), it might mean we get a compact and pocketable device which doesn’t feel big or bulky.
As for the cameras, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has two 48MP rear cameras, alongside a third 12MP telephoto lens, which suggests the iPhone Fold could well have some serious photography chops.
But if even the best foldable phones don’t float your boat, 2027 may have something even cooler in store for us.
2027: the all-screen iPhone 19
2027 will mark iPhone’s 20th anniversary, and word on the street is Apple might be cooking up something pretty special to mark the occasion.
Notable Apple reporter, Mark Gurman, said in one of his recent Power On newsletters for Bloomberg, that Apple is working on an iPhone 19 with no notch (the physical Dynamic Island) and virtually no bezels around the screen – giving us a fully edge-to-edge display.
To make the all-screen iPhone a reality it will have to pack in some new tech (for Apple), with an under-screen Face ID and selfie camera for a truly uninterrupted screen experience.
These reports make the iPhone 17 series sound a little less appealing. Sure a new cooling system and funky rear camera layout will be interesting, plus iOS 26 will make it feel like a bigger upgrade, but 2026 and 2027 is where the iPhone is set to revolutionize the market… again.
Now, what’s happening about that portless iPhone rumored back in 2019?
