iPhone 18 rumored to get a bigger battery and a higher starting price
Key points
- A leaker known as Digital Chat Station says the standard iPhone 18 will get a larger battery and may cost more than the iPhone 17.
- PhoneArena says the iPhone 18 could be the first base-model iPhone to start at $1,000, noting that the price would technically be $999.
- Notebookcheck reports that few new features are planned, but the base model should get at least two upgrades.
- The leaker says the phone keeps a 6.3-inch OLED screen with a refresh rate up to 120Hz, Dynamic Island and Face ID.
- It is also expected to have the A20 chip, built on a 2nm process like the A20 Pro, and a 48-megapixel dual rear camera system.
- The iPhone 17 has a 3,692 mAh battery. Apple has not announced the iPhone 18.
The standard iPhone 18 is rumored to come with a bigger battery and a higher price. The claim comes from the leaker known as Digital Chat Station, in a post on Weibo, a Chinese social network. Apple has not announced the iPhone 18 or said anything about its price.
According to the leaker, the base model keeps a 6.3-inch OLED display with a refresh rate up to 120Hz, along with Dynamic Island and Face ID. It is expected to use the A20 chip, made with a 2nm process just like the A20 Pro, and a 48-megapixel dual rear camera system. The iPhone 17 has a 3,692 mAh battery, and the iPhone 18 is said to go beyond that. Notebookcheck says few new features are planned overall, but the base model should get at least two upgrades.
The price is the bigger story. PhoneArena says the iPhone 18 might be the first standard iPhone to start at $1,000, though the figure would technically be $999. This follows a rise in the iPhone 17’s US starting price from $799 at launch to $899 in September 2026. Notebookcheck says Apple may use the iPhone 18 launch as the moment for another increase. The leaker’s post does not say whether the new price would be measured against the iPhone 17’s original price or its current one, or whether it would apply in the United States.
Apple already raised battery capacity on its iPhone 18 Pro models. Versions with a physical SIM card tray have 4,056 mAh and 5,391 mAh batteries, up about 1.7% and 11.8% over the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The same post also touches on an iPhone Air 2 in the first half of 2027, and predicts the standard iPhone 18 will be the best-selling of the three models.
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