iPhone 18 Expected in Early 2027 With Larger Battery and A20 Chip
Leaks suggest Apple's standard iPhone 18 will arrive in early 2027 with a bigger battery and a 2nm A20 chip, though it may miss the smaller Dynamic Island and could cost more.
Apple's standard iPhone 18 is expected to arrive in the first half of 2027, with reports pointing to an early-year launch, and new leaks suggest the device will bring two notable upgrades over its predecessor. According to well-known Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station, posting on Weibo, Apple is preparing a larger battery and a faster processor for the regular model, following improvements already introduced in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup.
The company has reportedly changed its release strategy this cycle by launching only the Pro models from the iPhone 18 series first. The standard models are now expected to be introduced separately in early 2027 rather than alongside the premium versions.
On battery life, the leak indicates that Apple plans to equip the standard iPhone 18 with a larger cell than the previous generation, although the tipster did not disclose an exact capacity. Better endurance is expected to come from the combination of the bigger battery and a more power-efficient processor.
That processor is expected to be Apple's A20 chipset, built using TSMC's advanced 2nm manufacturing process. The standard iPhone 18 will reportedly use a less powerful variant of the A20 compared with the A20 Pro found in the Pro models. Even so, the newer process is expected to improve performance and energy efficiency, which should help extend battery life alongside the larger battery.
The standard model will reportedly miss out on at least one design upgrade. According to the tipster, Apple's smaller Dynamic Island will remain exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro series, meaning the regular iPhone 18 is expected to retain the existing Dynamic Island design rather than adopt the slimmer version introduced with the Pro lineup.
The leak also suggests that Apple could raise the price of the standard iPhone 18. None of these details have been confirmed by Apple, and the company has not announced a launch date for the standard models. Buyers will need to wait until early 2027 for official specifications and pricing.
For now, the reports point to a familiar pattern: Apple is reserving some of its most visible design changes for the Pro tier while using battery capacity and chip efficiency to differentiate the standard model.
