Apple's low-cost iPhone 18 details revealed by leaker

Leaker adds support for rumored iPhone 18 red color (mockup shown), in a slightly strange way

Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a low-cost iPhone 18e next spring alongside the iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2. Here are the details on what to expect from the iPhone 18e, according to a new leak.

The iPhone 18e will feature an A20 chip and a possible front camera upgrade, but will remain very similar to the iPhone 17e according to the leaker

More bad news for Apple prices as TSMC increases chip costs | Graphic showing an Apple A20 chip

When Apple introduced new iPhones last month, only three models were released: the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, plus the iPhone Duo.

Rumors indicate that three more new iPhones will arrive in early 2027: the iPhone 18e, iPhone 18, and iPhone Air 2.

There have been many reports about the changes to the iPhone Air 2, and some to the base iPhone 18, but surprisingly few to the entry-level model, the iPhone 18e.

But today, a new post from Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station outlines what to expect from the iPhone 18e early next year. He says it will include:

60Hz display, which means still no ProMotion
A20 chip, which does not yet exist in non-Pro form
6.12-inch OLED like its predecessor
48 MP single rear camera
Front camera “can be upgraded to 24MP”

Based on these specs, it looks like the iPhone 18e is largely focused on improving performance.

The A20 chip will be interesting to evaluate, as we have yet to see a non-Pro variant of the latest 2nm technology. The mention of a front-facing camera upgrade is particularly surprising, but I’m guessing that if it appears it will actually be an 18MP sensor like that of other current models.

Apart from these two changes, all the specifications mentioned remain unchanged from the iPhone 17e. One detail not discussed is whether the notch will be replaced by a Dynamic Island.

Given the skyrocketing prices of memory and storage and Apple’s goal of making the iPhone 18e a budget model, the new model may offer fewer upgrades than usual to keep costs down.

What do you think of the plans announced by Apple for the iPhone 18e? Let us know in the comments.