How The iPhone 17 Air And Foldable iPhone Could Threaten Apple's Lucrative Pro Lineup

Apple's iPhone lineup is set for a serious shakeup starting next month. Rumors suggest an iPhone 17 Air is going to replace the iPhone Plus, but the company won't stop there. One of the top sources regarding upcoming releases is Bloomberg, and the publication reports that Apple will introduce its first foldable iPhone in 2026 followed by the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027.

However, while Apple is seemingly set to introduce exciting new redesigns and innovations for the iPhone every year for the next three years, this might also ruin the company's lucrative Pro lineup. After all, Apple usually sells more iPhone Pro models right after it launches a new lineup, but, in the long run, it's the cheaper base model that sells the most.

With that said, Apple's iPhone lineup could look something like this next year: iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, iPhone 18 Air, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 18 Fold. Long-time Apple fans would undoubtedly be excited, but if the Air ends up being more expensive than the Plus, and the foldable is priced similarly to those of other top vendors, the average selling price of Apple's iPhone lineup is set to skyrocket. Not only does this have the chance of confusing consumers, but it could also scare off price-conscious shoppers.

Let's start the rumored iPhone Fold. The latest report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests that Apple will introduce a Galaxy Z Fold-like device with four cameras and Touch ID at the end of next year. More specifically, this device will have a camera on the front, a camera inside the fold, and two cameras on the back. While that's the same number of cameras as on an iPhone Pro, it's very likely that it will be two selfie cameras and two main lenses, which means iPhone Fold users will lack either a telephoto or an ultra-wide lens.

More than that, Apple is also expected to bring back Touch ID, as this sensor is seemingly easier to implement than Face ID. Therefore, if you're considering moving from the iPhone Pro to the iPhone Fold, you'll get a more unique device, but with some notable compromises (and a much higher price tag). Paying that much more for a compromised experience could put off some consumers.

Bloomberg also reports that the iPhone 20 will change the game again with curved glass edges surrounding the entire device. Whether or not this will arrive with as big of a deal as the iPhone X was in 2017 remains to be seen. Not only was the iPhone X an exciting step forward for the smartphone, but it also kicked off a multi-year run of significant upgrades and changes, from the arrival of the iPhone XS Max in 2018 to the debut of the "Pro" and "Pro Max" monikers as part of the iPhone 11 lineup in 2019.

That said, now that the Pro lineup has been established, the question now is whether the iPhone 20 will be completely different from anything we've ever seen or if Apple sticks to tradition and releases the iPhone 20, iPhone 20 Air, iPhone 20 Pro, and iPhone 20 Pro Max. Plus, with rumors suggesting Apple will only debut high-end phones at its fall events starting in 2026, it's unclear how Apple would split up the launches of the iPhone 20 lineup, the second-generation iPhone Fold, and the iPhone 20e (if it exists).

While many fans have praised Apple's decision to roll out a relatively straightforward iPhone lineup year after year, it looks like choosing a device will be a bit more challenging in the near future. That hasn't always panned out for other vendors, and splitting its focus between even more iPhone models could have an impact on quality control. It's going to be an interesting few years for Apple.