iPhone 18 vs iPhone 17: 6 things to expect from the sequel to the most popular Apple iPhone
The iPhone 17 is one of the most balanced vanilla iPhones we’ve seen in years. Now that the bar has been set so high, how does Apple plan to improve on this baseline with the iPhone 18? Here are six things we expect the Cupertino giant to do with the next iPhone.
Apple impressed many with the base iPhone 17 last year. The vanilla iPhone got notable upgrades when it came to the display, cameras, and battery. The iPhone 16 was already a strong device that even topped the sales charts in 2025, and the iPhone 17 improves even further.
But now that the bar has been set so high, what will Apple do for the iPhone 18? Yes, the iPhone 17 was launched just a few months ago, but rumors about the next iPhone have started emerging. So let’s take a look at the 6 things you can expect from the Cupertino giant for the iPhone 18.
1. Delayed Launch
Apple has historically launched its main iPhone lineup at a single event, usually in September each year. However, the Cupertino giant could shake things up this time. According to reports, the vanilla iPhone 18 may not be launched until early 2027, with Apple missing out on the base iPhone this year.
Instead, Apple is expected to launch only the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone Fold this year. While the vanilla iPhone 18 will likely launch alongside the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 in early 2027.
2. Chipset
While the iPhone 18 may hit the market later than usual, the device is likely to get a major performance upgrade when it comes to the chipset. Apple is expected to use the yet-to-be-announced A20 chipset in the iPhone 18. Rumors indicate that this chipset will likely be based on the 2nm process and will bring a noticeable boost in performance and efficiency.
This should get a big boost compared to the iPhone 17, which is a powerful device in its own right.
3. Cameras
Apple has made major improvements to the iPhone 17 camera, whether it’s the new 48-megapixel ultrawide or the 18-megapixel selfie shooter. According to a report by JP Morgan, the iPhone 18 may get a new 24-megapixel front sensor like the iPhone 18 Pro model. However, it is still early days and things may change in the future.
Still, even if Apple decides not to change the camera hardware, you’re likely to see improved image processing that could yield better results.
Additionally, leaks indicate that the camera control buttons on the iPhone 18 may be simplified to reduce costs. Instead of both capacitive and pressure sensitivity, the vanilla iPhone 18 may come with pressure sensitivity just for this button.
4. Battery
Apple does not officially disclose the battery size of iPhones. However, through certificates, we can know the size of the cells. For example, the non-eSIM-only iPhone 17 has a battery capacity of 3,692mAh, which is a slight increase from the iPhone 16’s 3,561mAh cell.
We can expect a similar bump in battery size for the iPhone 18. And Apple will likely further improve the optimization for greater efficiency.
5. iOS 27 and Siri
iOS 26 was one of the biggest changes to the iPhone’s operating system in more than a decade. While we got the new Liquid Glass theme and transparency effects, some users reported facing issues during the initial rollout. Apple is expected to address these concerns with iOS 27, which will likely run on the iPhone 18 out of the box.
Additionally, you can expect major improvements to Apple Intelligence. Apple has reportedly signed a billion-dollar deal with Google to power Siri with a Gemini-based AI model. This change should become quite apparent by the time the iPhone 18 hits the market.
6. color
Colors play an important role for any device and especially iPhone. The iPhone 17 comes in completely different colors compared to the iPhone 16, which helps differentiate the two models whose design is otherwise almost identical. Apple may do something similar for the iPhone 18 with some new shades.
While we know that Apple is considering colors like burgundy and purple for the iPhone 18 Pro models, it’s unclear what colors the vanilla iPhone might get.
There is no official statement yet on the price of iPhone 18. However you can expect Apple to keep it the same as the iPhone 17, which was launched in India for Rs 82,900.
