Apple to switch to semiannual schedule for iPhone launches, predicts Kuo

Ming-Chi Kuo has released his predictions for the iPhone launch cycle for the next two years, which includes some major shakeups compared to how Apple has done things so far.

Starting with this year, things are more or less expected to progress as expected. This includes the launch of the standard iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max, as well as the highly rumored iPhone 17 Air (or Slim, as he prefers to call it). There are no real surprises here, nor is the fact that the iPhone 17e is expected to launch in the first half of 2026.

It's in 2026 where the interesting things will begin, according to Kuo. First, in the second half of the year, around the same time as usual, Apple will launch the foldable iPhone, which has also been in the rumor mill for a while but we have yet to see any concrete evidence of. Launching alongside it are the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, along with the iPhone 18 Air.

If you thought something was missing from that list, it's because there was. The standard iPhone 18 will apparently not be launching in the second half of 2026. Instead, it will be pushed to the first half of 2027, where it will launch alongside the iPhone 18e. Following that, Kuo expects the iPhone foldable 2, iPhone 19 Pro/Pro Max, and iPhone 19 Air (with a larger display compared to 18 Air) to launch in the second half of 2027, as expected.

Kuo expects this to be Apple's iPhone launch schedule going forward. His reasoning is that this semiannual schedule will allow Apple to compete better with its rivals, especially in China, where most brands follow a similar schedule. Even competitor Samsung has had a similar schedule for a while now, launching standard flagships at the beginning of the year and foldables in the second half.

Kuo also believes that Apple needs to offer more iPhone models than it currently does to compete effectively. Moreover, launching all of them at once dilutes marketing efforts, and it makes it harder for individual models to stand out over others. This can be seen in the Pro models outselling the standard model.

To reiterate, these are predictions from Kuo, not confirmations or even rumors based on evidence. However, there is some logic in Kuo's reasoning and based on his track record, may very well turn out to be accurate.

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