Apple has confirmed — indirectly, via its own release cadence, that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo are now live, with preorders for the latter already backordered through January 2027. What’s new isn’t the launch itself, but what comes next: a spring 2027 base-model iPhone upgrade, followed by a full redesign in fall 2027 to mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversary.
No official names or specs have been announced. But 9to5Mac’s reporting, based on supply chain and design sources, maps out the shape of both releases. And yes, “iPhone 18 Pro price” searches will keep landing here, even though that device is already shipping at $999 in the US and ₹1,39,900 in India.
The real news is what replaces it, and when. ↵↵The spring 2027 iPhone is expected to be the first base-model iPhone launched outside of Apple’s traditional September window. It’ll sit alongside the existing iPhone 18 lineup. Not replace it, and carry the A20 chip, up from the A19 in the current base iPhone 17.
RAM is tipped to increase, thermal management will be revised, and it’ll adopt the new Apple C2 modem. Price? Likely $899 in the US. Matching the iPhone 17’s post-increase MSRP, and Rs 1,19,900 in India, assuming parity holds. ↵↵This model is also the reworked successor to the cancelled iPhone Air.
That version was scrapped last year after early units failed to fit an ultrawide camera without compromising thickness. The spring 2027 version fixes that. Adding the ultrawide lens while retaining a slim profile. It’ll also reportedly feature a smaller Dynamic Island (like the iPhone 18 Pro), a larger battery, up to 3500mAh, roughly 10% more than the original Air.
And a shift from the C1X to C2 modem. ↵↵Then, in fall 2027, Apple plans a full generational reset: the “iPhone 20”. Not an official name, but one used consistently across sourcing. It’ll drop the flat-edged, stainless-steel unibody design introduced with the iPhone 12 and return to glass-backed, curved geometry, slimmer bezels, no visible notch, and a hole-punch selfie camera.
Under-display Face ID is expected. The Dynamic Island shrinks further, possibly to a single pill-and-hole layout. Thermal performance remains an open question. 9to5Mac notes skepticism about whether this design can sustain Pro-level workloads without throttling. But points out the iPhone Duo’s aluminum-free chassis manages heat well, suggesting Apple may have solved it. ↵↵The iPhone Duo’s successor is also slated for fall 2027.
Few details exist beyond expectations for Face ID integration (currently absent) and upgraded cameras. It’ll run the A21 Pro chip. ↵↵None of these devices are announced. All details come from 9to5Mac’s sourcing, no leaks, no renders, no regulatory filings cited. But the timing lines up with Apple’s newly split release calendar: spring for base models, fall for flagships and foldables.
If that holds, the spring iPhone arrives March–April 2027. The iPhone 20 and Duo 2 follow in September–October. ↵↵For buyers weighing an iPhone 18 Pro today: the upgrade path just got longer. For those holding out? Spring 2027 is the first inflection point.
Fall 2027 is the milestone.
MDFiled by The Mobile Desk
Phones from leak to launch to price cut: what was announced, what it costs where, and when it goes on sale. Indian launches and prices included, not appended.
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