iPhone 18 design: there's good news and bad news

(Image credit: ConceptsiPhone)

After years of design stagnation, last year Apple dropped its most dramatically different looking iPhone line up for a while. But different doesn't always mean better – as sales figures for the iPhone Air prove. Then there's the iPhone 17 Pro, which, with its massive camera cutout and weird glass back is arguably an eyesore – and that's before we even get to 'scratchgate'.

But if it seems like, to quote D:Ream, Things Can Only Get Better, then I have some bad news for you. According to new reports, in 2026, things can only stay the same. Our best iPhone for photography line up might not look so different in September.

iPhone 17 Pro colours — The iPhone (Image credit: Apple)

Yep, the iPhone 18 line up is rumoured to feature pretty much the same design as that of the 17. According to a well-known Apple leaker (as spotted by MacRumors), this year's iPhone line up "Will not feature signifiant design changes".

This is disappointing for a few reasons. Firstly, it suggests that several of the iPhone Air's shortcomings are likely to remain, including the lack of a second camera lens. It also suggests the iPhone 18 Pro will not only retain the aforementioned unsightly design touches, but also continue to be rendered in aluminium – a significant step down from the titanium of the iPhone 16 Pro.

iPhone Fold render — A fan-made render of the iPhone Fold (Image credit: AppleInsider)

Less of a big deal is the basic iPhone 18. The iPhone 17 features a pretty inoffensive design, with many considering it the sweet spot of last year's line up. But that one does like, aside from colours, identical to the iPhone 16 – which means we'll be getting the same design for a third year in a row.

Still, design-wise, things might not be as dull as they sound. After years of rumours, the so-called iPhone Fold is expected to launch this year. Keeping all of the pre-existing designs could be good news in that regard – if we're getting a radical new iPhone model in 2026, perhaps Apple wants it to grab all of the limelight.

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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles. He has interviewed leaders and designers at brands including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe. Daniel's debut book of short stories and poems was published in 2018, and his comedy newsletter is a Substack Bestseller.

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