iPhone 18 reportedly nears test production as Apple readies a radically different launch plan

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It's a New Year's gift for all Apple fans

iPhone 18 Pro colors: purple, brown, burgundy
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Apple could soon begin production of the iPhone 18, with the initial stages reportedly being prepped for the start of 2026.

According to a recent post from Fixed Focus Digital on the social media platform Weibo, iPhone 18 trial production will start after New Year's Day, which appears to mean January 1, 2026. The post then explains that mass production is expected to begin as early as before the Lunar New Year, which starts on February 17, 2026.

iPhone 18 production schedule

(Image credit: Fixed Focus Digital Cameras @ Weibo)

The post also notes that the iPhone 18 Pro series production lines have already been set up, indicating that the design has been finalized. It is also mentioned that the iPhone 18 Pro’s external designs are not as “significant as many had anticipated.” This seemingly follows prior rumors that the iPhone 18 Pro will feature a similar design to the iPhone 17 Pro series, including the triple lens rear camera set on the new plateau design.

Apple's iPhone 18 series could offer some impressive changes

iPhone 17 Pro Max shown in hand

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

One of the biggest rumors around the iPhone 18 is that Apple was planning on splitting the release of the series. According to reports, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max could aim for a release in September 2026, alongside the iPhone Fold. Meanwhile, the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will be delayed until spring of 2027. As such, the leaked timelines for the production would seemingly converge with this rumored release schedule.

Aside from the release, we have seen a lot of rumors around the possible hardware coming as part of the iPhone 18. Several reports have indicated that Apple could be placing the Face ID underneath the main display, removing the Dynamic Island from the front display.

Although Instant Digital has stated in prior posts that this isn’t going to be the case, instead describing it as the phone having a “slightly narrower” pill than we’ve seen in older models. "It does not have a single camera, and does not have under-screen Face ID or an under-screen camera,” he added.

Outside of the display, we have also heard that Apple will be making the jump to 2nm chips for the iPhone 18’s A20 chip. If accurate, then the new phone could offer improved performance, due to the smaller chips being able to pack more transistors into a smaller space, while also improving power consumption.

However, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes this may only be the case for the iPhone 18 Pro series to help save on costs. It’s also stated in the same report that we may finally see the iPhone hit 12GB of RAM, compared to the 8GB seen on the iPhone 17 series.

However, as with any Apple hardware rumors, there’s no way to confirm them, as the company is well-versed at keeping details under wraps. As such, we’ll have to wait until Apple officially announces the next wave of iPhones, which will likely occur during a September event.

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Josh Render
Josh Render
Staff Writer

Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer. 

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