Ahead of the expected iPhone 17 event in September, reports have come in on Apple’s ambitious three-year roadmap to freshen up its smartphone line, which includes the ultra-slim iPhone Air alongside the company’s first foray into the foldable phone space.
This comes from a report by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, which goes into detail about what to expect from Apple over the coming years. First up, the iPhone Air is set to push the boundaries of its smartphone slimness, which Gurman says will replace the iPhone 16 Plus. According to his report, the iPhone Air will follow in the traditions of the current MacBook Air laptop strategy, meaning it will be much thinner and lighter than its other smartphone counterparts, albeit with some compromises.
Due to its slimness, battery life is set to take a hit, and the phone will only include one rear camera and will also lack a physical SIM card slot. Instead, the iPhone Air is set to use Apple’s first in-house modem chip, the C1 modem, which was introduced with the iPhone 16e. The phone will join Apple’s upcoming lineup of the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max.
Apple’s game-changer, then, will come in 2026 with its first foldable iPhone. According to the report, the phone, codenamed V68, will follow Samsung’s book-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 that opens into a small tablet. It is set to feature a four-camera setup and will also lack a SIM card slot alongside the removal of Face ID, instead relying solely on Touch ID. Suppliers are reportedly ramping up production of the foldable from early next year, with a release slated for Fall 2026.
Finally, in 2027, Apple will reportedly celebrate the iPhone’s 20th birthday with a design overhaul, finally ditching the squared-off design of its phones in favour of a more rounded approach with curved-glass edges that surround the phone. This design change will be in line with its new Liquid Glass interface, the key selling point of the recently released iOS 26.
According to Gurman, this year might not be the year that Apple revolutionises the iPhone, but will instead serve as “the foundation for major shifts in 2026 and 2027”, offering iPhone fans an exciting few years to come.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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