According to a leaker, the iPhone 18 will be released later than usual with new cost-cutting measures.

Apple’s flagship iPhone lineup could look quite different this fall than in previous years, and a new post from Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital provides insight into a delayed release date and new cost-cutting measures for the base iPhone 18.

It is reported that the manufacturing process of iPhone 18 will be downgraded to coincide with the simultaneous release of iPhone 18e.

There is a growing consensus that Apple’s basic model iPhone 18 will be removed from its main lineup this fall.

This would be a significant and unusual omission, but reports from numerous sources now support the claim.

And the latest corroboration comes from leaker Fixed Focus Digital.

In a new post on Weibo, he wrote that the iPhone 18 will be released at the same time as the iPhone 18e. Launch is scheduled for early 2027.

Here’s what Apple’s fall 2026 lineup looks like:

But the leaker doesn’t just confirm what was previously reported. He also made new claims about the cost-cutting measures Apple is implementing with the iPhone 18.

In two new posts, Fixed Focus Digital said that Apple plans to downgrade the iPhone 18 manufacturing process to align with the iPhone 18e.

This is said to be a new cost management strategy. However, unfortunately, specific details about how the iPhone 18 manufacturing process will be set back compared to the iPhone 17 are unknown.

9to5Mac’s opinion

It stands to reason that Apple could benefit from leveraging a common manufacturing strategy if the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e launch at the same time.

Both models are already expected to offer many of the same features. From an exterior design perspective, the iPhone 17 and 17e are slightly different in size, but the iPhone 18e is likely to adopt the slightly larger 6.3-inch screen and dynamic island that the iPhone 18 offers. Therefore, both models can be nearly identical on the outside.

There’s still at least nine months until the rumored iPhone 18 launch, so a lot can change in that time. But perhaps more than ever, next year’s Apple “e” models will be more closely aligned with the base option.

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