iPhone 18 might be delayed, but expert suggests there'll be two significant upgrades worth waiting for

Apple iPhone 17 in Mist Blue — (Image credit: Future)

Quick Summary

The delayed iPhone 18 could come with two big, Pro-level upgrades to make it worth the extended wait.

It's not likely to appear until early next year, but is said to be getting a smaller Dynamic Island and additional RAM.

Apple should soon announce its annual iPhone launch event, currently rumoured to be taking place on 9 September, but there will be one this missing this year – the iPhone 18.

It is widely expected that the next Apple presentation will unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max and long-awaited iPhone Ultra. However, we'll more than likely have to wait until early next year for the standard model (as well as an iPhone Air 2).

That will disappoint some, with the price of the iPhone 18 Pro maybe proving too rich for those more budget conscious. Thankfully though, it looks like patience will be rewarded, with at least one industry expert predicting a couple of significant upgrades worth waiting for.

Big upgrades heading to iPhone 18

According to 9to5Mac, which claims to have seen his latest research notes, there will be a notable change to the Dynamic Island, which will first be seen on the iPhone 18 Pro in the next few weeks.

The 18 Pro is said to be getting a smaller Dynamic Island to cut down on the screen-busting cutout. Its functionality will remain the same, but the pill-shaped black bar will be less obstructive when not in use (such as with the new Siri AI).

In addition, Pu claims the iPhone 18 could come with a healthy RAM boost, even during the global components crisis. He believes it will be upped to 12GB of RAM – 50% more than on the iPhone 17.

That's likely to ensure the phone works well with the new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features coming with iOS 27 next month. It should also make the device more speedy to use generally.

It would also be a significant differentiator between the iPhone 18 and expected iPhone 18e model also expected early next year. That's tipped for 9GB of RAM.

Another renowned analyst, Ming Chi-Kuo predicted the standard model would come with 9GB, but that never made much sense – why not just buy the 18e in that case?

We'll probably have to wait a bit longer to see how this all pans out, with the iPhone 18, Air 2, and iPhone 18e currently tipped for next spring. However, at least we have Apple's first foldable to keep our attention first.

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Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.