Apple’s next standard iPhone might be a pretty decent upgrade if battery life is high on your priority list. A fresh leak suggests the iPhone 18 will pack a more advanced processor and a larger battery. But these are just the good parts of the upgrades, and other aspects might not be as well received.
According to prominent Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station, the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 are all expected to debut in the first half of 2027, with the standard model predicted to be the bestseller.
Bigger battery, faster chip, and familiar looks
From the outside, the iPhone 17 will look quite similar to the iPhone 18. But the cooler updates might be under the hood. The iPhone 18 is reportedly getting Apple’s A20 chip, manufactured using TSMC’s 2nm process. So we can expect to see better power efficiency. This would be a step up from the 3nm A19 powering the iPhone 17, which could also bring improvements to performance as well.
Apple is also expected to increase the battery capacity. The current iPhone 17 packs a 3,692mAh battery. Combining the efficiency gains of the A20 with the bigger battery life. Unfortunately, the leak doesn’t provide an exact capacity. The phone is tipped to retain a 6.3-inch 1.5K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Face ID, and a dual-camera setup featuring 48MP sensors.
Those specifications are largely unchanged from the iPhone 17, which already offers a 120Hz ProMotion display and dual 48MP cameras. The regular Dynamic Island is also expected to stick around, leaving the smaller design introduced with the iPhone 18 Pro series exclusive to Apple’s pricier models for now.
Better hardware could come at a steeper price
RAMmageddon has pretty much ruined the pricing for smartphones, and the iPhone 18 could also receive another price increase. For context, the iPhone 17 originally launched at $799 in the US before Apple increased its starting price to $899 in September 2026. Another hike would make the standard iPhone a little too expensive, especially for a non-Pro model.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max arrived in September 2026, while the regular iPhone 18 is expected to follow several months later alongside the more affordable iPhone 18e and the iPhone Air 2. Keep in mind that this is still an unconfirmed leak. But if the rumors pan out, Apple could have a capable everyday flagship on its hands. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get too expensive.
