Foldable iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro and Other Phones We Expect to Launch in 2026

While this year started with a few iterative phone launches, the last couple of months have taken us back into the exciting phones territory. From the all-new wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 to a software-centric Pixel 11 upgrade, we’re fresh off the flagship launch cycle from Samsung and Google. Now, it’s time for Apple to take the stage. We’re likely just a couple of weeks away from the next-generation iPhones.

However, the ongoing RAM shortage and growing competition in generative AI are making it harder for phone-makers to deliver bold designs and features that are both useful and innovative without pushing prices too high. This could lead Apple to shake things up with its iPhone 18 lineup. While the long-rumored foldable iPhone Ultra is tipped to debut next month, the base iPhone 18 model might launch early next year.

It’s already the end of August, but there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming months. Apart from Apple, there are more high-end phones coming out of China. While the Galaxy Z TriFold and Oppo Find N6 took a radical approach to design, the Ultra models from Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi took mobile photography to the next level. And we might see a few high-end features trickle down to their Pro siblings in the upcoming months.

The bottom line? 2026 is far from over, and some of the most impressive phones have yet to be revealed.

Phones released in 2026 so far

Apple

A split iPhone 18 launch strategy

Apple introduced a slew of upgrades with the iPhone 17 line — an 18-megapixel selfie shooter, upgraded rear camera optics, thermal cooling on the Pro variants, among other updates. It also added the thin iPhone Air to the lineup. This year, the Cupertino company could shake up its iPhone launch timeline.

For years, Apple has continued to announce the base iPhone model alongside its Pro siblings, while also experimenting with Mini, Plus and Air variants. This could change in 2026. According to a report from The Information and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Cupertino-based company may push the launch of the vanilla iPhone 18 to early 2027 in a bid to make space for the iPhone Fold. 

Apple could still announce multiple iPhone models in September 2026, but the lineup and timing would look slightly different. Next month, we could see the launch of the next-gen. iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max in new colors and the all-new iPhone Fold (or iPhone Ultra). But the standard iPhone 18 is tipped to be released alongside the iPhone 18E in March 2027.

The new Apple iPhone launch cycle might be:

• March 2026: iPhone 17E
• September 2026: iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone Fold
• March 2027: iPhone 18, iPhone 18E and iPhone Air 2
• September 2027: iPhone Air 3, iPhone 19 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 20 (named to honor the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone’s 2007 debut)

Since the standard iPhone 18 model is rumored to be released in 2027, let’s focus on the iPhone variants that are more likely to be launched this year. 

Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max

The iPhone 18 Pro models are expected to have the same design language as the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max but be available in new colors. Apple is said to be considering three color options to replace 2025’s cosmic orange: coffee, purple and burgundy.

I’d love a burgundy or coffee-brown iPhone 18 Pro. I’m more intrigued by the latter, thanks to CNET Jeffrey Hazelwood’s mock-ups of the iPhone 18 Pro in purple, coffee and burgundy, which you can see above. 

Both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are expected to have the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, respectively, as the current models. However, Apple is rumored to opt for an under-display Face ID True Depth camera to make the Dynamic Island smaller.

There have also been rumors about the iPhone 18 Pro lineup, including an under-display Face ID, alongside a punch-hole cutout for the selfie shooter, which is common on Android phones. According to the same report from The Information cited above, the iPhone 18 Pro duo’s displays will have a small hole in the top-left corner to house the front-facing camera. So, we shouldn’t expect a full-screen display with an under-display camera.

I’ve used phones with under-display cameras (RedMagic 10 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5), and while I love having a full-screen experience, I look smudgy on video calls and selfies with these cameras. No phone manufacturer has figured out a way to retain photo quality while delivering a full-screen experience with an under-display camera.

If Apple can do that, I’d be pleasantly surprised. But it seems unlikely as current-gen iPhones launched with a new industry-leading 18-megapixel Center Stage camera on the front. I don’t think Apple would mess with that. I expect the same photo and video quality on the next iPhone.

Moving to the rear optics, Apple is reportedly introducing a variable aperture lens on the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. It might be irrelevant to most people, but for those who use their iPhones for photography, a variable aperture would offer more control over their photos. It would allow you to manually adjust the amount of light reaching the sensor and the depth of field on a subject.

This isn’t groundbreaking new technology. Samsung introduced it with the Galaxy S9 in 2018 but it remained ineffective due to the small sensor size and the fact that the aperture could only switch between two f-stops: f/1.5 and f/2.4.

Xiaomi and Huawei did a better job with their flagships in 2023. The Huawei Mate 50 Pro offered 10 aperture steps (f/1.4 to f/4.0), while the Xiaomi 13 Ultra has a dual-aperture design (f/1.9 and f/4.0) paired with a larger 1-inch-type image sensor.

Based on these examples, Apple will likely need to add a larger image sensor and more flexibility with aperture control to make it actually useful. It could be a godsend to improve the iPhone’s portrait mode, which trails behind the likes of current Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi phones.

The iPhone 18 Pro is also rumored to get a new three-layer stacked image sensor developed by Samsung. For years, Sony has supplied the image sensors for the iPhone. Samsung’s sensor could reduce noise in images, improve the dynamic range and make the iPhone’s camera more responsive.

The iPhone 18 Pro series is expected to be powered by the A20 Pro chipset, built on TSMC’s 2nm process. It could have architectural changes, such as having RAM integrated directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU and neural engine, instead of it being adjacent to the chip and connected via an interposer. It could allow for 30% better efficiency and 15% faster performance than the A19 chips. The next iPhones may also use Apple’s next-generation C2 modem chip for enhanced wireless connectivity.

The foldable iPhone Ultra

There are conflicting rumors about the launch timeline of Apple’s foldable iPhone. Some say it’ll be released alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series this year, while a report from The Elec claims that the launch could be delayed to 2027. It’s worth noting that rumors of Apple’s book-style foldable iPhone date back to 2019. However, the recentiOS 27 Developer Beta‘s app resizability feature hints at a 2026 launch timeline.

Apple’s first folding phone is likely to be a book-style foldable, like the Galaxy Z Fold, rather than a clamshell flip phone. It’ll have a smaller outer display and a wider folding display — like the first-gen Google Pixel Fold, per Kuo. I used the Oppo Find N in 2022, which had a similar passport-size form factor. While Oppo’s foldable is better for watching videos, it didn’t offer the best experience for browsing the web.

If Apple can find the middle ground between the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7, the iPhone Fold could be an enticing choice. It is rumored to include a 5.5-inch cover screen and a 7.8-inch display when unfolded.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the first folding iPhone is expected to measure 4.5mm thick when unfolded. For context, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 measures 4.2mm, while the Huawei Mate XT (the tri-fold) is 3.6mm thick when fully opened.

In his blog, Kuo gave more clarity on the expected release date and shipment delays. He says that the development of the foldable iPhone “is behind earlier expectations.” The new Apple iPhone is still on track to be launched in 2026 but “smooth shipments may not occur until 2027.”

A report from The Elec (via DigiTimes) says that Apple will use ultra-thin glass for its first foldable iPhone. It could have a hole-punch selfie shooter on the cover screen and an under-display camera behind the inner screen. It’ll likely lack Face ID and rely on Touch ID for biometric authentication.

Kuo also reported that the first Apple foldable will minimize the crease by using a combination of titanium, stainless steel and liquid metal for the hinge. It’s also tipped to use titanium for its frame and aluminum in other areas. The foldable iPhone is rumored to house a 48-megapixel primary camera alongside a 48-megapixel ultrawide-angle sensor. Apple might not give it a telephoto camera.

Recently, longtime Apple leaker Sonny Dickson shared what appear to be 3D CAD renderings of the rumored device. These renderings align with a separate CAD leak from December published by GSMArena. They show a book-style foldable iPhone with a wide aspect ratio — giving us an iPad Mini-size display. It appears to be a hybrid of the iPhone 17 Pro and the iPhone Air, with a dual-tone look and a pill-shaped camera module at the top. The upcoming iPhone Fold looks like a passport-sized phone.

Another Mark Gurman report from Bloomberg revealed new information about how Apple will tweak iOS for its new iPhone. The iPhone Fold is likely to run iOS 27, which is focused on smarter Siri and OS stability. While the company didn’t detail any multiwindow or split-screen support at WWDC 26, it told developers to move away from designing apps for specific devices and fixed orientations at the Platforms State of the Union. They’re advised to target “a dynamic range of sizes and aspect ratios,” which could hint at dynamic app scalability on iPhone Ultra’s expansive inner screen.

The foldable iPhone is said to cost between $1,800 and $2,500. While earlier rumors suggested the latter price, recent rumors have said that the folding iPhone will cost the same as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

Samsung

Samsung has seemingly announced all its flagship phones for the year. It started with a trifold phone and carried forward that innovative energy to its mainstream foldable phones. The Korea-based phone-maker has had its ups and downs in 2026, but it has delivered some amazing devices.

In January, it announced the Galaxy Z TriFold, which was extremely limited in availability. The Huawei Mate XT competitor opted for a different folding design; this compromised its usability, but the overall tablet-in-pocket design was terrific nonetheless. The following month, Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 series with forgettable upgrades to the S26 and S26 Plus, but added a unique Privacy Display feature on its top-of-the-line Ultra model. I wish it had added the same privacy capability on the Folds this year. While that didn’t happen, it launched an all-new wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July, which has been my favorite folding phone of the year. The new Flip 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are fine in their own ways, but the Fold 8 is the best combination of flip pocket-ability and fold usability.

While we’re unlikely to get any more flagship phones from Samsung this year, the Galaxy S27 series is reportedly bracing for a redesign. According to leakers Ice Universe, Sonny Dickson and Max Jambor, the Galaxy S27 series could adopt a camera bar design similar to the iPhone 17 Pro series.

Google

Google’s Pixel 11 series arrived in August, focusing on new software features and a bigger camera sensor on the Pixel 11 Pro. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also got a slightly thinner and lighter design over last year’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold. While a lot of the hardware remained similar to last year’s Pixel 10 series, many of the small revisions added up to noticeable improvements, including faster 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging using the phones’ PixelSnap magnets and the 40% slimmer camera bar on the Pixel 11 over the Pixel 10.

The 2026 Google Pixel lineup is led by useful smart features. CNET’s Mike Sorrentino put it best in his review: “Pixel-specific features like Live Translate are jaw-dropping and show the lengths Google has gone to make accessibility a priority.” The underwhelming HiLight LED feature and $100 price hike across the lineup might sting, but each new Pixel phone can stand its own.

Where is OnePlus?

Unfortunately, we won’t get any more OnePlus flagships in the US. In July, the company confirmed that it’ll no longer operate in North America or Europe, and won’t launch any further phones in the regions following 2025’s OnePlus 15. It had already merged some of its operations with its parent company Oppo in 2021, but all of its operations will now fall under the Oppo brand. OnePlus will continue to operate in China and India, but it’s unlikely to announce a top-end flagship phone this year.

Xiaomi’s first-ever IFA entry

Ahead of the expected Apple event in September, Xiaomi could announce a new foldable phone in the first week of September. At its Xiaomi 17T phone launch event in May 2026, the company confirmed it will make its first-ever appearance at the IFA Berlin trade show.

According to recent rumors, Xiaomi could use this opportunity to announce its new folding phone, which could differ from its current generation of flip phones and book-style foldables.

As per a Weibo post by Beginners Review, the internal HyperOS prototype UI design is believed to be of a wide-screen folding phone. While it could also be a tablet, Xiaomi’s first-ever presence at IFA is likely about an all-new shape. It could join the likes of Huawei, Apple and Samsung in developing a passport-like folding phone.