“Dummy” units of all three smartphones that Apple is expected to launch this fall appeared in images posted Tuesday by a noted leaker. The pictures show the first folding iPhone, as well as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, all in a strange magenta color.
The basic iPhone 18 doesn’t appear in the pictures. And there’s a good reason for that: It’s reportedly not coming this fall.
iPhone 18 Pro and folding iPhone design teased in newly leaked ‘dummy’ units
Dummy units are nonfunctional replicas of upcoming smartphones, typically produced using leaked dimensions, supply chain information and early design schematics. Accessory makers often create these models months ahead of launch to prepare cases and other add-ons, which is why they frequently surface in leaks long before a device is officially unveiled.
While they lack internal components and working displays, dummy units can provide a reliable sense of a phone’s size, camera layout, button placement and overall design, making them a key early indicator of what to expect from the final product.
Sonny Dickson posted on multiple social networking services images with three dummy units from handsets now high on Apple’s agenda.
“Exclusive First Dummies of what the final size of the iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look like,” said Dickson.
Exclusive First Dummies of what the final size of the iPhone Fold, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look like. pic.twitter.com/X9P9uBK12p
— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) April 7, 2026
Assuming the dummy units are accurate, there are several takeaways. The first is that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will look very much like their iPhone 17 series equivalents. That’s expected.
The second takeaway is that the folding iPhone dummy matches Monday’s leak that revealed a redesigned camera hump.
Also, while the two iPhone 18 dummies include MagSafe rings, the folding iPhone one does not. It seems Apple’s efforts to keep the foldable handset slim didn’t leave room for wireless charging.
Dickson makes an annual tradition of leaking images of dummy units months before Apple introduces the products. They generally prove quite accurate.
Where is the basic iPhone 18?
Some people may be wondering why the basic iPhone 18 doesn’t appear in these images. It’s going to launch at the same time as those other three, right? No, probably not.
Rumors suggest Apple will delay the launch of the base iPhone 18. Multiple reports indicate it could arrive as late as March 2027 rather than alongside the usual fall lineup. The iPhone 18e is expected at the same time.
The goal is apparently to separate the entry-level devices from its flagship Pro models to extend the product cycle and maintain momentum throughout the year.
We expect the two iPhone 18 Pro models shown by the dummy units to arrive in September, as usual. And the folding iPhone as well, assuming Apple can work out rumored production problems.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
