The iPhone Fold is again rumored to be launching alongside the iPhone 18 Pro – but Apple's iPhone schedule is set to be different this year

Apple iPhone 17 Pro REVIEW
The Apple iPhone 17 Pro (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

  • Another 2026 iPhone rumor has appeared
  • The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold could launch together
  • They'll likely make their debuts in September

Apple is going to be busy launching multiple contenders for our best iPhones guide this year, and a new leak points to something we've heard before about the 2026 schedule: that the foldable iPhone is going to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro.

This comes from tipster Momentary Digital (via Wccftech), who says that mass production for both phones is going to get underway around July time, with a grand unveiling then presumably scheduled for September – the traditional iPhone launch month.

We should see the iPhone 18 Pro Max at the same launch event, but it doesn't look as though the handsets are going to be joined by the standard iPhone 18. That model has been pushed back to early in 2027, according to reports.

It's not clear why Apple is shaking up its standard launch schedule – and none of this has been officially confirmed yet of course – but it's a safe bet that Apple thinks it might be able to sell more iPhones overall by splitting the launches like this.

iPhones for all

Apple iPhone 16e

The iPhone 16e (Image credit: Future)

Let's not forget the iPhone 17e, the successor to the iPhone 16e, which we're expecting to arrive any day now. That should give more budget-conscious Apple fans an appealing alternative to the flagship handsets in the range.

As for the iPhone Fold, such a device has been rumored for years, but given the increasing frequency of the rumors and reports about it, it would appear that this is the year that Apple finally decides to push out a foldable phone.

The chatter around the gadget suggests that Apple has been working hard to make the screen crease as invisible as possible, and we can look forward to a phone that's both eye-catching and powerful – and, no doubt, very expensive.

There have been quite a few rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro as well, including that it might sport a smaller Dynamic Island. As with every year, no doubt there will be a performance bump with the internal chipset too.


Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.

TOPICS
David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.