Apple Reportedly to Downgrade iPhone 18 Specifications to Reduce Price
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Apple is reportedly set to downgrade several specifications on the iPhone 18, from the display to the chipset, as a cost-efficiency strategy to keep the smartphone’s selling price competitive.
Citing a report from Macrumors on Wednesday (22/4) local time, the information was revealed by technology leaker Fixed Focus Digital. Instead of raising the iPhone 18’s price, Apple is said to have opted to downgrade several components, including the chip, to suppress the selling price.
He stated that the standard iPhone 18 version will receive certain manufacturing downgrades, bringing its specifications closer to the iPhone 18e model, positioned as a more affordable variant.
The display production process is also reportedly undergoing changes to a lower level.
For comparison, the iPhone 17 features a 6.3-inch display supporting ProMotion and outdoor brightness up to 3,000 nits. As ProMotion was one of the major upgrades in the previous generation, the display brightness level is expected to be one of the aspects reduced in the iPhone 18.
In addition to the display, Apple is also said to be adjusting the chipset to be used. If the iPhone 17 uses the A19 chip with a five-core GPU, the iPhone 18 is likely to use a four-core version, equivalent to the variant used in the iPhone 17e.
The leaker also mentioned that Apple may change the naming of the A-series chips to mask this specification downgrade.
This step is taken so that Apple does not need to raise the iPhone 18’s price amid production cost pressures. Besides the chip and display, adjustments are also said to include memory and other components.
Apple is reportedly set to begin the Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) phase for the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e simultaneously in June. This phase is a crucial process before the devices enter mass production.
For the launch schedule, the standard iPhone 18 is expected to arrive a few months after the Pro models. Apple is said to first release the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable phone temporarily known as the iPhone Ultra in autumn 2026.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 18e, standard iPhone 18, and iPhone Air 2 are expected to follow in spring 2027.