After years of design stagnation, last year Apple dropped its most dramatically different looking iPhone line up for a while. But different doesn't always mean better – as sales figures for the iPhone Air prove. Then there's the iPhone 17 Pro, which, with its massive camera cutout and weird glass back is arguably an eyesore – and that's before we even get to 'scratchgate'.
But if it seems like, to quote D:Ream, Things Can Only Get Better, then I have some bad news for you. According to new reports, in 2026, things can only stay the same. Our best iPhone for photography line up might not look so different in September.
Yep, the iPhone 18 line up is rumoured to feature pretty much the same design as that of the 17. According to a well-known Apple leaker (as spotted by MacRumors), this year's iPhone line up "Will not feature signifiant design changes".
This is disappointing for a few reasons. Firstly, it suggests that several of the iPhone Air's shortcomings are likely to remain, including the lack of a second camera lens. It also suggests the iPhone 18 Pro will not only retain the aforementioned unsightly design touches, but also continue to be rendered in aluminium – a significant step down from the titanium of the iPhone 16 Pro.
Less of a big deal is the basic iPhone 18. The iPhone 17 features a pretty inoffensive design, with many considering it the sweet spot of last year's line up. But that one does like, aside from colours, identical to the iPhone 16 – which means we'll be getting the same design for a third year in a row.
Still, design-wise, things might not be as dull as they sound. After years of rumours, the so-called iPhone Fold is expected to launch this year. Keeping all of the pre-existing designs could be good news in that regard – if we're getting a radical new iPhone model in 2026, perhaps Apple wants it to grab all of the limelight.
