Rumors are swirling about Apple’s hardware plans for 2026 and while it sounds exciting, we still think something is missing. Here’s what you need to know.
Apple is still a few weeks away from its grand fall launch event, where the iPhone 17 series will be revealed, alongside a bunch of other devices. But it seems the company’s 2026 product portfolio is the one worth waiting for. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company is planning a barrage of fresh hardware across the Mac, iPhone, and iPad lineups next year.
In spring next year, Apple will introduce the iPhone 17e, a successor to the iPhone 16e that was introduced earlier this year, featuring Apple’s first in-house modem. Currently under development, carrying the codename V159, the upcoming budget phone will shift to the new A18 processor, which currently powers the mainline iPhone 16 series smartphones. The design will reportedly be similar, to which you can expect a notch atop the display and a single rear camera.
Coming to the iPads, Apple is planning a 12th-generation baseline model (J581 and J582), alongside upgrades for the iPad Air and Pro variants. The entry-level model will carry the same design as its predecessor, but will adopt a new silicon. The iPad Air, likewise, will switch things around internally and move to the M4 silicon, but there are no other major changes in the pipeline. As for the flagship iPad Pro, it will be upgraded to the M5 processor in the second half of 2025. Since Apple shifted to a new ultra-sleek design language in 2024, it’s unlikely we are getting a fresh look next year.
