Two upcoming iPhones could be largely unchanged in appearance, leaker claims, and Im already skipping this generation

Date:
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Description:
A Weibo leaker says the iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 will look almost identical to previous versions.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Become a Member in Seconds Unlock instant access to exclusive member
features. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting
your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful Join the club Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards. Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter A leaker claims the iPhone 17 will be largely unchanged in appearance They also said the iPhone Air 2 will have minimal external adjustments That could mean the next generation is one to skip for iPhone fans If youve been hoping major changes will come to the iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2 , you might want to dial back your enthusiasm. Thats because a couple of new leaks suggest that Apple will offer only minimal changes to these upcoming devices when they arrive in 2027, with virtually nothing new in terms of their external appearance.

That idea comes from leaker Fixed Focus Digital, who took to the Chinese social media site Weibo to explain what they expected from the forthcoming devices. Starting with the iPhone 18 , the leaker claimed that the product might see some slight changes in terms of sizing, but that the design itself would remain identical to the iPhone 17. Specifically, according to Google Translate, Fixed Focus Digital wrote: Industry sources indicate that the standard iPhone 18 will remain largely unchanged in appearance, except for a possible slight difference in size. That doesnt exactly sound like an extensive overhaul. Article continues below You may like Key upgrades for the Apple iPhone Air 2 are rumored Do we really need an iPhone 17e? iPhone 18 Pro video leak gives us a look at the phone's design and colors

Regarding the iPhone Air 2, Fixed Focus Digital said that this will be a normal iteration. That seems to imply we shouldnt expect anything out of the ordinary including the addition of a second camera , which previous leakers have alleged is on the way.

All in all, then, it looks like Apples next non-Pro iPhones wont get much in the way of external changes. While we expect them to come with new chips and perhaps a few internal upgrades, if youre hoping for fresh designs, you might be out of luck. Dont hold your breath (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)
I watched the introduction of the original iPhone Air with great interest,
but decided not to pull the trigger. At the time, my iPhone 16 Pro was just a year old and did everything I needed it to. And while the iPhone Airs super-slim design was fascinating, I didnt like the idea of having to give up two camera lenses to get it.

Previous leaks alleging that the iPhone Air 2 would come with two rear
cameras rekindled my interest a little, but with Fixed Focus Digital
seemingly burying that idea, I see little reason to switch to the iPhone Air 2. And with even less supposedly happening with the iPhone 18, that one is right out of the window for me. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Why would Apple opt to make so few changes to its devices? One culprit might be the companys software. Apples approach to its forthcoming operating
systems including iOS 27 , macOS 27 , watchOS 27 and more is apparently one of stability, whereby itll focus on improving the user experience and squashing bugs rather than adding heaps of new features. By cutting the
number of hardware changes, Apple will reduce the need to change its software to accommodate these updates.

Another possibility is simply that Apple is happy with how its phones look right now. Mobile innovation has slowed in recent years as designs have settled into place, and while the iPhone Air itself was a relatively radical change for Apple, its only a year old. That could make any change to its appearance hard to justify.

Whatever the case, its worth noting that Fixed Focus Digitals claims run counter to those put forth by some other leakers. Ultimately, we wont know Apples plans for sure until the new devices make an appearance (something thats mooted for next year now), but based on the latest grapevine news, I wont be holding my breath for any significant changes. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. Today's best Apple iPhone Air deals Contract Deals Sim Free Apple iPhone Air 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 5GB data 40 upfront 41.49 /mth View at Vodafone Ltd See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/two-upcoming-iphones-could-be-largely-unchang ed-in-appearance-leaker-claims-and-im-already-skipping-this-generation


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