When the iPhone 18 Pro was announced in September, it was only part of the story of this year’s flagship iPhones. On paper, the 18 Pro is faster, has a better camera, and features a more efficient vapor chamber — all small improvements that enhance the user experience — but together, a very small upgrade to the iPhone 17 Pro.
That’s no surprise, since the star of the show this year isn’t the iPhone 18 Pro, but the iPhone Duo. And the more I think about Apple’s 2026 lineup, the more it reminds me of another very important year for the iPhone: 2017.
Back when Apple introduced the iPhone X in 2017, it represented the future of the iPhone. It ditched the Home button in favor of an edge-to-edge display. Touch ID was replaced by Face ID. It was a completely new concept for the iPhone — yet it was too expensive by 2017 standards. It was the first iPhone to hit the market with a price tag of $999, several hundred dollars more than any other iPhone.
To cushion the blow, Apple also offered the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Those phones were good — easily the best iteration of that classic iPhone design with a faster chip, better cameras, and a new glass back with wireless charging. But compared to the iPhone X, they weren’t exactly an exciting upgrade. And that was the point.
Back in 2017, if you wanted a new iPhone, didn’t really care about the new design, and didn’t want to spend more than you ever did on an iPhone, you bought the iPhone 8. If you were an enthusiast and wanted to experience with what the future of the iPhone looked like, you’d buy an iPhone X.
Nearly a decade later, Apple is doing something similar. The iPhone 18 Pro is the safe choice, while iPhone Duo is the experiment.
The iPhone 8, right, merely existed to make the iPhone X more desireable.
Foundry
But the reality is, most people don’t buy new iPhones every year. Apple itself told me that many customers keep the same iPhone for about three years — something many reviewers don’t take into account when talking about a new iPhone. For Apple, someone buying an iPhone 18 Pro is likely upgrading from an iPhone 15 Pro. That means three years’ worth of improvements in the camera, battery life, and a few design changes — all at once. It’s a big leap.
That said, the iPhone 18 Pro serves a second purpose in this year’s lineup. It’s not just the iPhone that looks familiar — it’s also the one that makes the iPhone Duo feel that much more exciting. For many tech enthusiasts like me, the excitement over the iPhone 18 Pro fades within minutes of setting up the new phone. The iPhone Duo, on the other hand, brings a whole new experience to the iPhone.
So when you go to Apple’s website to decide which new phone to buy, it’s not hard to imagine which one seems more appealing. One looks just like last year’s phone and the other is a completely new thing.
For people who really want the feeling of having something new, they’ll look at both new iPhones and will certainly consider buying the iPhone Duo. If you’ve spent the past few years complaining that every new iPhone is essentially the same, Apple finally has something very different for you.
That’s basically the same choice Apple gave customers in 2017. The iPhone 8 made the iPhone X seem like a much more exciting upgrade for enthusiasts — the iPhone Duo now fills that role.
And like the iPhone X, the iPhone Duo is expensive. So is the iPhone 18 Pro, though. It starts at $1,200 and gets close to $2,000 once you move up to the Pro Max and add storage. But put it next to the iPhone Duo, and it suddenly doesn’t feel so expensive anymore.
Almost a decade ago, the iPhone 8 was the iPhone most people went to Apple Stores to buy. But once they got there, more than a few ended up choosing the iPhone X instead. This year, the iPhone 18 Pro is in the same position and is likely to have a similar effect with the Duo. The “boring” iPhone might be just the thing Apple needs to keep its super-expensive next-gen iPhone flying off shelves.
