The standard iPhone 18 is now tipped to cost more than the iPhone 17 it replaces. Gizmochina, citing the Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station, reported that Apple plans a price increase for the base model, though the leak doesn't put a number on it.
Apple already raised the prices of its existing iPhones by $100 in September, so the iPhone 17 now starts at $899 in the US. The iPhone 17e starts at $699 and the iPhone Air at $1,099. A second rise in a few months would make the base iPhone 18 the priciest standard iPhone yet.
Apple skipped the standard iPhone 18 in September and launched only the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo. Digital Chat Station says the iPhone 18 now arrives in the first half of 2027, alongside an iPhone 18e and an iPhone Air 2. Gizmochina adds that Apple is reportedly aiming for March or April.
The leak lists a 6.3-inch OLED screen at 1.5K resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, the same Dynamic Island as before, and Apple's 2nm A20 chip. It keeps Face ID and gets two 48-megapixel rear cameras and a bigger battery. That's a steady update, not a redesign.
The iPhone 18e is expected to keep a 6.12-inch screen at 60Hz and a single 48-megapixel rear camera, with the A20 chip and a 24-megapixel front camera. The iPhone Air 2 is tipped for a 6.55-inch 120Hz screen, two 48-megapixel rear cameras, a bigger battery and a 5.2mm body. It's also reported to get the A20 Pro chip with Apple's N2 wireless chip and C2 modem.
Apple hasn't announced any of these phones or a date. If you want a standard iPhone and can wait until spring, the iPhone 18 is the one to wait for. Just don't count on it starting at $899. If the rise lands, the iPhone 17 you can buy today stays the cheaper way in.