iPhone 18 Could Fall Behind iPhone 17 With Older Display Material, Widening Gap With Pro Models: Report

Apple's iPhone 18 isn't expected to launch until early next year, but leaks about the phone have already suggested it might not come with major upgrades over the iPhone 17. According to a new supply chain report, the divide between the standard iPhone and iPhone Pro models could get even wider this year compared to previous generations, especially in terms of display features. The iPhone 18 will reportedly use an older OLED panel manufactured by Samsung's display division, while the Pro models could adopt the latest in display technology.

iPhone 18 Said to Feature M12+ Panel to Keep Costs in Check

As per supply chain information shared by tech blog Schrödinger Intel, Apple is expected to use Samsung Display's latest M16 OLED panels for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a rumoured foldable iPhone. However, the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone 18e variant could miss out on this upgrade.

Instead, the Cupertino-based tech giant is reportedly considering older display materials, including M14 and a customised M12+ panel. Among the two, M12+ is said to be the leading candidate.

As described in the report, the M12+ panel is a refined version of the M12 architecture, offering slight improvements in brightness and efficiency. However, it still falls behind newer generations such as M13, M14, and M16 in overall performance.

If the leak proves accurate, the base iPhone 18 models could ship with display technology that is several generations older than the one used in the Pro variants. The M12 architecture was previously used in models like the iPhone 14 Pro. Meanwhile, Apple's entire iPhone 17 lineup features M14 material panels. This potentially means that the purported iPhone 18 will not only be behind the iPhone 18 Pro models in terms of the OLED panel material, but also the current iPhone 17.

Previous leaks also suggested that the vanilla iPhone 18 might come with various downgrades, including but not limited to manufacturing process, chipset specifications, and RAM. It is believed to be an effort by Apple to reduce input costs — a move that could potentially bring the iPhone 18 closer to the iPhone 18e.

The iPhone 18, notably, is not expected to witness a price increase and may launch around the same MOP as the iPhone 17, despite the rising cost of memory components. For context, the iPhone 17 was launched in India in September 2025 at a starting price of Rs. 82,900 for the base 256GB configuration.