A new leak from China offers an early look at what Apple's entry-level iPhone could bring next spring. MacRumors reports, citing a post on Weibo by the leaker known as Digital Chat Station, that the iPhone 18e may pick up two meaningful upgrades while keeping a familiar 60Hz display. None of this has been confirmed by Apple.
The reported upgrades
The bigger change would be the processor. According to the report, the iPhone 18e would use an A20 chip built on a 2-nanometer process, the same generation expected in the standard iPhone 18. That would be a step up from the 3-nanometer A19 in the iPhone 17e.
The second possible change is the front camera. The leaker said the selfie camera could move to 24 megapixels, up from the 12-megapixel sensor on the iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e. MacRumors notes the leaker was less certain about this detail, and it is unclear whether the figure refers to a genuinely new sensor or is a mix-up with the 18-megapixel Center Stage camera in the iPhone 17 lineup.
What stays the same
The rumored display is a 6.12-inch OLED panel using LTPS technology, with the refresh rate staying at 60Hz. The rear of the phone would reportedly keep a single 48-megapixel camera, although details about the sensor and lens were not provided, so smaller hardware changes remain possible.
The 60Hz claim also sits awkwardly with an earlier report from Korea, which suggested a 120Hz LTPO display could reach the entry-level model, though that report pointed to the "iPhone 19e" in 2028 rather than this year's successor.
Timing
The iPhone 18e is expected to arrive in spring 2027, alongside the standard iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2, in line with other rumors about Apple's split release schedule. Apple has not announced or commented on any of these products.
As with any single-source leak, especially one relayed from social media, the details should be treated as early and subject to change. Cupertino News will follow further reporting on the 2027 iPhone lineup as it emerges.
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