No new affordable iPhone until 2027
Reports suggest Apple will delay the release of its affordable iPhone models until 2027, focusing instead on high-end Pro models and a foldable device for 2026. The article also explains how local market dynamics and lack of official retail presence cause iPhone price volatility in Kenya.
Why it matters
The delay impacts consumer expectations for entry-level Apple products and highlights the unique challenges of the tech retail market in Africa.
Apple's September event is close, and for the first time it is expected to come without a standard iPhone.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and The Information have separately reported the same plan. Three phones land in September: the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple's first foldable, which several reports say will be called the iPhone Ultra. The ordinary iPhone 18, the cheaper iPhone 18e and a second-generation iPhone Air are held back to around March 2027.
Apple has confirmed none of it, and has not announced a date. MacRumors estimates Wednesday 9 September, worked backwards from how Apple has scheduled around the US Labor Day holiday in past years. That is arithmetic, not a leak.
If the reports hold, every new iPhone announced this September will start above $1,000 in the United States.
Why Kenyan iPhone prices move when they do
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