Waiting for a Cheaper iPhone? What a Leaker Says About Next Spring's iPhone 18e

If you've been thinking about Apple's lower-priced iPhone, the 'e' model, you might be wondering whether it's worth holding on for the next one. A well-known leaker has now shared what he believes the iPhone 18e will bring when it arrives next spring, and the short version is a faster chip and not a great deal else. Nothing here is confirmed by Apple yet, but it's useful to know if you're trying to decide whether to buy now or wait.

What Apple has announced so far

This autumn Apple launched three new iPhones: the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in September, and the iPhone Duo in October. That's all Apple has released in this year's line-up so far, and it hasn't said anything about an iPhone 18e. The current lower-priced model is the iPhone 17e, and you can see the full range of iPhones on sale in the UK on Apple's iPhone page.

What's rumoured

According to 9to5Mac, the expectation is that three more iPhones will follow in early 2027: the iPhone 18e, the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2. There's been plenty of chatter about the other two, but surprisingly little about the 18e until now.

That changed at the end of October when Digital Chat Station, a leaker who posts on the Chinese social network Weibo, shared what he expects from the iPhone 18e. He's generally considered a reliable source, though like any leaker he doesn't get everything right, so it's best to treat this as a strong hint rather than a promise. Here's what he says:

• A faster A20 chip. The chip is the phone's brain, and the A20 is the newest one, which so far has only appeared in its A20 Pro form, in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo. 9to5Mac points out it's built on Apple's latest 2nm technology, which means smaller, more tightly packed parts, and that usually helps with speed and battery efficiency.
• A possible front camera upgrade. This is the selfie camera. 9to5Mac's own guess is that, if it happens, it could be the 18MP front camera used in other current models, but that's their speculation rather than part of the leak.
• Everything else much the same. Apart from those two changes, the specs he listed are unchanged from the iPhone 17e.

One thing the leak doesn't mention is whether the notch at the top of the screen will be replaced by the Dynamic Island, which is the pill-shaped area on other iPhones that shows things like timers, music and deliveries. So we simply don't know yet.

9to5Mac also suggests that, because memory and storage have become much more expensive, Apple may be keeping changes to a minimum so the 18e stays affordable. Again, that's their reading of the situation rather than anything Apple has said.

What it means for you

If this leak is right, next spring's iPhone 18e will be a faster version of the iPhone 17e rather than a big redesign. Apple hasn't announced a price, a release date or any details at all, so if your current phone is working well there's nothing you need to do right now. If you need a phone sooner, it's worth knowing that, going by this leak, the next model looks very similar to the one on sale today.

Should you upgrade?

If you already have an iPhone 17e, I think waiting for the 18e is going to make very little difference to you, because you probably won't even notice the changes in everyday use.

Whether a faster chip on its own is worth it really depends on which iPhone you're coming from. I definitely wouldn't suggest upgrading to it if your phone is from the last couple of years. If you've got something older than that, and it isn't a Pro model, you might well find the 18e is a good budget phone to go for.

I also think the 'e' line is becoming more and more important as iPhone prices go up, because the gap between it and the standard iPhone is getting smaller all the time. The main reasons to step up to the standard model tend to be the screen and the camera, and even then the 'e' models have a solid camera and a good display, so for a lot of people they make a lot of sense.

Need a hand deciding?

If you're not sure whether your current iPhone has a few more years in it, or which model would suit you best, you can ask iHelp AI a quick question at any time. And if you'd like us to talk it through with you, help you move everything across to a new phone, or simply get the most out of the one you've got, you can book a session remotely from anywhere in the UK or in person across Dorset.

Alex