Even though it's only been a few months since the release of the iPhone 17, there are already plenty of rumors swirling about next year's iPhones. From a possible folding model to a brand new iPhone 18 lineup, 2026 (and beyond) looks to be very interesting indeed for Apple's mobile division.
The iPhone 18 itself is rumored to have quite a few changes from its predecessor. It's said to have variable aperture cameras, an under-display front-facing camera for Face ID, a smaller Dynamic Island, an updated A20 chip and new, interesting colors including a "coffee" brown.
There are a few reasons why you might want to wait for the iPhone 18 but the biggest reason you shouldn't is because it doesn't exist. Apple hasn't announced the iPhone 18. And rumors says the iPhone 18 won't come out in September 2026 (to make room for the rumored iPhone Fold) and instead might be released in early 2027.
Personally I don't think you should wait over a year for a new phone, especially if you are considering an upgrade from an iPhone 14 and earlier. Here are a few reasons why.
The iPhone 17 is great (and so is the 17 Pro)
The iPhone 17 is one of our favorite phones of 2025 and even earned a CNET Editor's Choice award. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET
If you're looking to upgrade your phone, there's already a shiny new iPhone in the stores right now, and it's a pretty good one. The iPhone 17 is a fantastic handset for iPhone devotees, especially for a base model.
Not only do you get a slightly larger 6.3-inch display (compared to the iPhone 16's 6.1-inch screen), the iPhone 17 also has a variable 1 to 120Hz refresh rate, a first among non-Pro iPhones. This lets you enable an always-on display so you can glance at the time or the current sports scores without having to wake your phone. And of course, that 120Hz ProMotion display also means increased smoothness and responsiveness overall for scrolling social feeds to playing video games.
Sure, the iPhone 18 might get improved cameras, but the iPhone 17's aren't too shabby. It has two 48-megapixel cameras on the back (a wide-angle and an ultrawide), with the ultrawide being a massive upgrade over the one on the iPhone 16 that only had a 12-megapixel sensor. The 18-megapixel selfie camera (which is on the rest of the iPhone 17 line and the Air) is also a great upgrade, especially with its Center Stage function that can zoom out if more people enter the shot or switch from portrait to landscape without you rotating the phone.
On top of that, the iPhone 17 has a sturdy aluminum frame, comes in an array of lovely colors (lavender is my favorite) and has an impressive battery life. In my experience, it easily lasts more than a day with moderate use, and that seems to check out with CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti's experience as well.
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