Two upcoming iPhones could be ‘largely unchanged in appearance,’ leaker claims, and I’m already skipping this generation

• A leaker claims the iPhone 17 will be ‘largely unchanged in appearance’
• They also said the iPhone Air 2 will have minimal external adjustments
• That could mean the next generation is one to skip for iPhone fans

If you’ve been hoping major changes will come to the iPhone 18 and iPhone Air 2, you might want to dial back your enthusiasm. That’s because a couple of new leaks suggest that Apple will offer only minimal changes to these upcoming devices when they arrive in 2027, with virtually nothing new in terms of their external appearance.

That idea comes from leaker Fixed Focus Digital, who took to the Chinese social media site Weibo to explain what they expected from the forthcoming devices. Starting with the iPhone 18, the leaker claimed that the product might see some slight changes in terms of sizing, but that the design itself would remain identical to the iPhone 17.

Specifically, according to Google Translate, Fixed Focus Digital wrote: “Industry sources indicate that the standard iPhone 18 will remain largely unchanged in appearance, except for a possible slight difference in size.” That doesn’t exactly sound like an extensive overhaul.

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Regarding the iPhone Air 2, Fixed Focus Digital said that this will be a “normal iteration.” That seems to imply we shouldn’t expect anything out of the ordinary — including the addition of a second camera, which previous leakers have alleged is on the way.

All in all, then, it looks like Apple’s next non-Pro iPhones won’t get much in the way of external changes. While we expect them to come with new chips and perhaps a few internal upgrades, if you’re hoping for fresh designs, you might be out of luck.

Don’t hold your breath

I watched the introduction of the original iPhone Air with great interest, but decided not to pull the trigger. At the time, my iPhone 16 Pro was just a year old and did everything I needed it to. And while the iPhone Air’s super-slim design was fascinating, I didn’t like the idea of having to give up two camera lenses to get it.

Previous leaks alleging that the iPhone Air 2 would come with two rear cameras rekindled my interest a little, but with Fixed Focus Digital seemingly burying that idea, I see little reason to switch to the iPhone Air 2. And with even less supposedly happening with the iPhone 18, that one is right out of the window for me.

Why would Apple opt to make so few changes to its devices? One culprit might be the company’s software. Apple’s approach to its forthcoming operating systems — including iOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27 and more — is apparently one of stability, whereby it’ll focus on improving the user experience and squashing bugs rather than adding heaps of new features. By cutting the number of hardware changes, Apple will reduce the need to change its software to accommodate these updates.

Another possibility is simply that Apple is happy with how its phones look right now. Mobile innovation has slowed in recent years as designs have settled into place, and while the iPhone Air itself was a relatively radical change for Apple, it’s only a year old. That could make any change to its appearance hard to justify.

Whatever the case, it’s worth noting that Fixed Focus Digital’s claims run counter to those put forth by some other leakers. Ultimately, we won’t know Apple’s plans for sure until the new devices make an appearance (something that’s mooted for next year now), but based on the latest grapevine news, I won’t be holding my breath for any significant changes.

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