Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Phones
  3. News

Your next iPhone might look exactly like your current one

The base iPhone 18 is skipping the glow-up, and iPhone Air 2 might actually show up on time.

Add as a preferred source on Google
iPhone with Active Siri
Rachit Agarwal / Digital Trends

Most of the iPhone 18 buzz has been around the Pro models, and for good reason. Upgraded cameras, a punch hole selfie camera, and the long-awaited iPhone Fold are all competing for attention. But what about the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2? A leaker answered both questions, and the answers are surprisingly uneventful.

Over the weekend, Weibo leaker Fixed Focus Digital shared two posts covering Apple’s less-talked-about upcoming iPhones. The first one is pretty straightforward: the standard iPhone 18 will look almost identical to the iPhone 17. The leaker says the design will remain largely unchanged, with only a possible minor adjustment to its dimensions.

Will the base iPhone 18 get the smaller Dynamic Island?

Earlier leaks suggested that all iPhone 18 models would get a smaller Dynamic Island. Fixed Focus Digital’s leak contradicts that saying that the smaller Dynamic Island is being reserved for the Pro lineup. So if you’re waiting for that particular upgrade, you might need to stretch your budget.

The minor size tweak, if it even happens, is not something most people will notice. All it would do is ensure that your current iPhone 17 cases won’t fit on the iPhone 18, so you will need to buy new accessories. 

Is the iPhone Air 2 happening this year?

According to Fixed Focus Digital, Apple will proceed with a normal product cycle and release the iPhone Air 2 this fall alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold. This contradicts reports from The Information and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who both suggested a spring 2027 release.

Recommended Videos

While earlier reports suggest the original iPhone Air did not sell particularly well, new sales data show that the iPhone Air outsold the Plus models it replaced. That said, only Apple knows whether these sales are enough to justify continued updates to the iPhone Air.

Fixed Focus Digital is adamant that, like the Mini and Plus models, iPhone Air 2 will get its second generation with no major changes. Whether there will be a third generation or not is still unanswered. 

With conflicting reports, it’s essentially a coin flip at this point. If Apple moves ahead, expect internal upgrades, like the A20 Pro chip, but few visible changes.

Rachit Agarwal
Rachit is a seasoned tech journalist with over seven years of experience covering the consumer technology landscape.
iOS 26.5 adding encryption to RCS messages exchanged between Androids and iPhones
Encrypted RCS is arriving in Apple Messages, giving iPhone and Android chats a long-awaited privacy boost
RCS-messaging-on-iOS

Apple is adding encrypted RCS to messages exchanged between iPhone and Android users with iOS 26.5, but the useful detail is what you’ll see when protection is actually active.

The support is in the iOS 26.5 release candidate for developers and public testers, where Apple lists it as a beta. That matters because access depends on supported carriers and a gradual rollout, so installing the update won’t automatically mean every cross-platform chat is protected.

Read more
Metalenz’s new face scan tech lives under the phone display and doesn’t need ugly cutouts
Face ID under the display is finally real, and it's not from Apple.
Metalenz Polar ID

Face ID under the display is finally real, and it's not from Apple. Metalenz has developed the technology that lets facial recognition work from under the display. 

The notch. The punch-hole cutout. The Dynamic Island. Every phone maker has a different name for it, but they all share the same problem. There’s a big chunk cut out of your display to make the facial recognition work. Metalenz might have just solved that.

Read more
Samsung’s next-gen display can measure heart rate and blood pressure through your fingertip
Forget the smartwatch, your phone screen might soon track your vitals.
Samsung Display Booth at Display Summit

Samsung is always pushing the boundaries of what a display could do. Earlier this year, the company released its flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra with a Privacy Display that turns off wide-angle pixels, limiting the viewing angle so no one can snoop on your phone. 

Now, the company has showcased a display technology that could make your next smartphone a surprisingly capable health monitoring device. At Display Week 2026 in Los Angeles, the company unveiled its latest Sensor OLED Display, a 6.8-inch panel that integrates health sensors directly into the display itself. 

Read more