2025 was an exciting year for smartphones. From Samsung reinventing its Galaxy Z Fold to Apple launching the all-new, slim and light iPhone Air, this year saw it all. The best phones of 2025 have set a strong precedent for 2026 phone launches. Also I'm glad we didn't have another year of incremental upgrades with barely-working AI features, like we did in 2024. And this has me stoked for the next year.
There should be room for a few surprises alongside regular upgrades such as more powerful chips, better cameras and improved AI capabilities in 2026. The folding phone market is expected to attract more entrants we could finally see Apple launch a folding iPhone and maybe Samsung releasing its new Galaxy Z TriFold in the US.
There are a bunch of exciting smartphones to look forward to in 2026.
Apple
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max marked the return of vibrant colors to Apple's highest-end iPhones. Prakhar Khanna/CNET
A split iPhone 18 launch strategy
Apple introduced a slew of upgrades with the iPhone 17 line -- an 18-megapixel selfie shooter, upgraded rear camera optics, thermal cooling on the Pro variants, among other updates. It also added the thin iPhone Air to the lineup. For next year, the Cupertino company could take things to the next level by shaking up its product launch timeline.
For years, Apple has continued to announce the base iPhone model alongside its Pro siblings, while also experimenting with Mini, Plus and Air variants. This could change in 2026. According to a report from The Information and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Cupertino-based company may push the launch of the vanilla iPhone 18 to early 2027 in a bid to make space for the iPhone Fold's launch.
Apple could still announce four iPhone models in September 2026, but the lineup and timing would look slightly different. In September 2026, we could see the launch of the next-gen. iPhone Air, iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max in new colors and the all-new iPhone Fold. But the standard iPhone 18 is tipped to be released alongside the iPhone 18E in March 2027.
The new Apple iPhone launch cycle might be:
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