The latest technical leaks indicate radical changes in Apple’s plans to launch its smartphones during the current year and next year. Despite previous expectations that suggested the company’s first foldable phone would be unveiled coinciding with the launch of the leading iPhone 18 series during next September, a new report revealed that the awaited launch date has been postponed for a longer period, highlighting the emergence of a new and surprising model name that was not previously mentioned in previous leaks and which is expected to see the light by March of next year.
The report states, based on information from technical analyst Tim Long, that the iPhone Fold, which may be called iPhone Ultra, will begin shipping to users in December of this year. These new expectations contradict previous reports that suggested its launch in September, bringing to mind the successful strategy that Apple previously followed when launching the iPhone
The technical analyst pointed out that the launch event scheduled for March of next year will witness the unveiling of the basic iPhone 18 phone along with the iPhone 18e and another version bearing the name iPhone 18 Plus or iPhone Air 2. The appearance of the Plus model name raises a lot of curiosity and questions in technical circles given that Apple officially abandoned this name with the iPhone 17 series of phones and replaced it with the Air version, which makes its return to using this name unlikely and interesting at the same time.
These leaks come in light of previous reports indicating a noticeable decline in sales of the Air versions compared to other models in the same series. Despite the strong and promising start achieved by these versions when they were first introduced to the market, sales numbers declined gradually and continuously after that, but it seems that these numbers were sufficient and convincing enough to push the company’s management towards a decision to develop and produce a second generation of this compact device to meet the needs of a specific segment of users.
Amid the sea of conflicting leaks and rumors, current expectations focus mainly on the upcoming September event, which will witness the launch of the flagship iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max phones. This step confirms Apple’s commitment to gradual and thoughtful launch plans for its new products, and it is expected that the vision will become clearer and more precise and confirmed details will be revealed about the rest of the devices in this wide lineup during the next few months to meet the aspirations of the company’s broad audience around the world.
