There’s a running joke that Apple always breathlessly announces that each year’s iPhone Pro is “the best iPhone we’ve ever made,” as if that were in some way surprising. But I do think that there’s some poignancy to the iPhone 18 Pro, because if the rumors about next year’s model are true, this could be the final iteration of the form factor that began with the iPhone X back in 2017. Specifically, we’re expecting next year to see the next big step toward that “single slab of glass” vision which will end the era of evolutionary change we’ve seen over the last decade.

The evolution of the iPhone Pro models: If you were to line up every model from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro, I think many people would struggle to tell the difference visually bar the switch from notch to Dynamic Island in 2022. The iPhone 17 Pro is still only an exception due to the extended camera island and Cosmic Orange option. Of course, each model had new features, but I think even here it’s fair to say that unless a specific one has particular relevance to you personally, you really need to jump at least two or three generations before an upgrade amounts to a significantly better experience.

This in no way a criticism of Apple. The reality is that premium smartphones are a mature technology, at least in the conventional form-factor. We don’t see massive differences between successive generations because there’s only so much that can be done to improve them on an annual basis.

Apple is now experimenting with different form factors, starting with the iPhone Air and now, of course, the iPhone Duo – and we’re expecting another major design leap next year, in the form of a 20th anniversary model. How exactly Apple will position next year’s design remains somewhat unclear. It was initially suggested that it would be a standalone model, distinct from the iPhone 19 Pro, while other reports suggest that it will be next year’s Pro model.

There’s also the question of whether Apple will use sequential numbering or skip a number to mark the occasion, so it might instead be called the iPhone 20 Pro. Personally, I do suspect that it will be the new iPhone Pro design, whether Apple calls it the 19 or 20. If this is correct, then the iPhone 18 Pro will be the final iteration of the form factor we’ve had for half a dozen years.