Report: Apple to Skip 'iPhone 19' Name for 'iPhone 20'

Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the '‌iPhone‌ 20' models, rather than the '‌iPhone‌ 19,' according to research firm Omdia.

Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard ‌iPhone‌ to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about what to expect through to the end of 2027.

In the first half of 2027, Apple will launch the '‌iPhone‌ 18e' and 'iPhone 18.' Then, in the second half of the year, Apple will launch a next-generation iPhone Air, '‌iPhone‌ 20 Pro,' '‌iPhone‌ 20 Pro Max,' and second-generation foldable ‌iPhone‌.

The move is said to be part of a broader attempt to reset the ‌iPhone‌'s naming system and revitalize the product lineup around the device's 20th anniversary. There is a strong argument that Apple will skip '‌iPhone‌ 19' nomenclature. For the 10th anniversary of the ‌iPhone‌ in 2017, Apple skipped the '‌iPhone‌ 9' and simply launched the ‌iPhone‌ X (roman numeral for 10) alongside the ‌iPhone‌ 8 and ‌iPhone‌ 8 Plus.

Apple's plan to push the release of its standard model to the first half of the year to launch alongside a new 'e' model is now widely rumored. Omdia says that from next year, Apple is expecting reduced demand due to the change, with no '‌iPhone 18‌' launching in 2026, and will temporarily reduce ‌iPhone‌ panel orders by 20 million units as a result. In the long term, this is expected to be offset by shipments of foldable iPhones.

In August, ETNews reported that Apple had informed some of its suppliers that the ‌iPhone 18‌ will not be part of the fall 2026 ‌iPhone‌ lineup. Instead, the company will unveil only higher-end models in the second half of next year.

Both The Information and Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported in May that Apple was considering moving to a biannual schedule to help sustain sales throughout the calendar year. By staging new device launches in both halves of the year, Apple could avoid the concentrated sales pattern that typically peaks in the fourth quarter following its September events and tap into periods that historically see weaker consumer demand. The iPhone 17 lineup is believed to be the last to have followed Apple's traditional release structure.

*Omdia initially calls this early 2027 model the '‌iPhone‌ 20,' but this is likely a mistake and refers to the ‌iPhone 18‌, as it implies later in its report. The standard ‌iPhone‌ 20 will probably follow in the first half of 2028.Tags: 20th-Anniversary iPhone, ETNews, OmdiaThis article, "Report: Apple to Skip 'iPhone 19' Name for 'iPhone 20'" first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums