The iPhone 18 Display Might Be Better Than Ever

According to recent rumors, we could see a slightly different release schedule for Apple iPhones this year. These rumors claim that Apple won't launch the vanilla iPhone 18 in September 2026, skipping it until early 2027. That's a massive change, considering that the brand has been sticking with this schedule for years. The rumors have been pointing to the iPhone 18 not being a massive upgrade compared to the iPhone 17, bringing the same display. However, a new claim suggests it comes with the brightest panel seen on vanilla iPhones.

According to the tipster Instant Digital on Weibo, the display manufacturer BOE might not be able to supply OLED panels for the iPhone 18. The reason? It seems that Apple's brightness requirements are reportedly too demanding. This indicates that Apple is raising the bar for the base model iPhone, which certainly implies that an upgrade is on the way for the quality of the display seen on this variant.

That said, the iPhone 18 could feature a noticeably brighter display than the iPhone 17. For a quick perspective, the iPhone 17 offers about 1,000 nits of typical maximum brightness. This goes all the way up to 1,600 nits in HDR, and there is a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It's a reasonably bright display, but this falls behind some competitors in the segment. If the iPhone 18 raises these numbers, then it will certainly be a most welcome upgrade for everyone.

As per the leaks, the iPhone 18 will feature a 6.27-inch LTPO OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, along with the Dynamic Island. The rumors state that the phone will launch alongside the more affordable iPhone 18e in early 2027. As for September 2026, Apple is expected to stick with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The foldable iPad/iPhone could tag alongside, and if we are about to see the iPhone Edge 2, then we expect it launch on the usual window.

There are still several months to come until Apple's usual release schedule, and we'll see if these rumors will be confirmed.