iPhone 18e Leaks: A19 Chip Skipped for 2nm Power

Apple appears determined to maintain its entry-level formula without major changes in 2027. A new leak has revealed the main features of the iPhone 18e, the company’s next budget smartphone expected to debut in the spring. Early data suggests it will be more powerful than its predecessor, but the rest of the specifications would remain in the same ballpark as the iPhone 17e.

Well-known leaker Digital Chat Station revealed on Weibo that the iPhone 18e will arrive with a 6.12-inch LTPS OLED display. The phone, which is expected to launch alongside the standard iPhone 18 in March 2027, would offer a panel similar to the previous model, including a 60 Hz refresh rate. Apple continues to reserve 120 Hz ProMotion displays for its higher-end models, even though most mid-range Android competitors have included high refresh rates as a default feature for years.

The most notable change for the iPhone 18e would be the processor. Apple plans to use a 2-nanometer A20 chip, reportedly a scaled-down version of the A20 Pro found in the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the rumored foldable iPhone Duo. The Pro version offers a six-core CPU, a dual Neural Engine for AI tasks, and 12 GB of unified memory. While final specifications for the base A20 remain unconfirmed, rumors point to the iPhone 18e shipping with 9 GB of RAM, a necessary threshold to run Apple Intelligence locally.

iPhone 17e.

iPhone 18e: Same rear camera, but a leap in selfies

In the photography department, the iPhone 18e will feature a 48-megapixel main camera. The rumor does not mention specific details, though buyers can expect optical image stabilization, super-high-resolution photos, and computational photography features like True Tone flash, Photonic Engine, and Deep Fusion. Where there would be a change is the front camera, which is expected to jump to 24 megapixels with autofocus control and depth mapping for portraits.

Beyond that, Digital Chat Station offered no further data, though some details confirm what was heard in previous leaks. Months ago, reports already mentioned the combination of an A20 chip, 9 GB of RAM, and a 60 Hz OLED screen, and it was even rumored that the phone would inherit Apple’s custom C2 cellular modem, succeeding the C1 introduced earlier this year. It has also been said that the iPhone 18e will ditch the notch in favor of the Dynamic Island, although there is no additional information to support that claim.

What is known is that Apple will use the iPhone 18e as the entry point to access new Apple Intelligence features. Those who cannot afford an iPhone 18 Pro will be able to buy this variant to use visual intelligence, photo editing tools, or writing features to summarize and draft texts. Beyond that, the differences compared to the iPhone 17e would be relatively modest, meaning an upgrade may not be worthwhile for current owners of that model.

There is currently no set date for the iPhone 18e presentation. Following Apple’s recent release cadence, it is likely to debut alongside the iPhone 18 sometime in March 2027. Pricing should remain similar to the current iPhone 17e, unless ongoing global memory chip shortages dictate otherwise.