Apple To Make Drastic Changes To Its Base iPhone 18 That Could Threaten Its Popularity Next Year

0-20%: Unlikely – Lacks credible sources
21-40%: Questionable – Some concerns remain
41-60%: Plausible – Reasonable evidence
61-80%: Probable – Strong evidence
81-100%: Highly Likely – Multiple reliable sources

Later this year, Apple has been rumored to alter its launch strategy with the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the highly anticipated iPhone Fold. While we should expect the entire lineup to comprise of the premium materials, early 2027 could witness a major change to this approach. According to the latest rumor, the base iPhone 18 could be the center of cost-cutting, as Apple looks to reduce its manufacturing bill since DRAM and SSD cost increases are forcing an entire re-assessment of launches.

The base iPhone 18 could resemble the low-cost iPhone 18e due to manufacturing trade-offs, removing its ‘premium’ status from the equation

From the looks of it, Apple is streamlining its production for the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e since both devices are scheduled to launch during the same period. Based on what Weibo tipster Fixed-focus digital cameras is claiming, the same production line for both the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e could be used to minimize costs.

It isn’t surprising for Apple to maintain this mass production stance since its MacBook Neo utilizes the same NAND flash storage as an iPhone, but if the company is opting to reduce the manufacturing costs of the iPhone 18, there could be another reason behind it. This decision leaves a significantly bigger budget for Apple to incorporate ‘top of the line’ specifications on the base iPhone 18, such as a chipset sporting a 5-core GPU instead of a 4-core configuration.

These cost savings could also enable the addition of a vapor chamber to deliver optimized cooling. Manufacturing cost savings suggest that both devices may also feature the same chassis, and if the iPhone 18e features a single primary…

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