Apple is about to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, but anyone with an iPhone that still has another year of life left in it may have an unusually good reason to sit this upgrade cycle out.
Reports surrounding Apple’s 2027 iPhone plans point to a much more dramatic redesign for the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone, potentially making this year’s comparatively familiar Pro models a difficult sell for users who do not need to upgrade immediately.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still expected to bring meaningful improvements, including Apple’s 2nm A20 Pro chip, a smaller Dynamic Island, camera upgrades, the C2 modem and improved battery efficiency. But visually, the devices are expected to retain much of the design introduced with iPhone 17 Pro.
By contrast, reports about Apple’s anniversary iPhone describe a far more ambitious change. As reported by MacRumors, Apple is rumored to be developing larger 6.4-inch and 7-inch displays for its 2027 Pro models as part of a substantial redesign.
Separate reports have repeatedly linked the anniversary generation with Apple’s long-term goal of creating a more seamless, all-screen iPhone appearance. That would make 2027 one of the most significant iPhone design years since iPhone X arrived for the device’s tenth anniversary.
There is also a completely new iPhone arriving before then. The Apple Post’s final event roundup details the foldable iPhone Ultra expected to debut tomorrow, giving buyers who want something genuinely different another option this year.
None of that makes iPhone 18 Pro a bad upgrade. For owners of older devices, the performance, battery and camera improvements could make it a substantial jump. But users carrying an iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro may find the prospect of Apple’s 20th-anniversary redesign difficult to ignore.