At its event held during US hours, Apple unveiled the foldable iPhone Duo for the first time, while announcing neither a standard iPhone 18 nor a successor to the Air, indicating that price increases for current models are also spilling over into the Japanese market.
At its event in early September, Apple announced its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, along with the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. New Apple Watch and AirPods products were also unveiled, bringing changes across the lineup.
The announcement consolidated the smartphone lineup into 3 models, while no successor was shown for the standard iPhone 18 or the iPhone Air. In contrast to the lineup’s previous tendency toward price reductions, prices also rose this time. Difficulties procuring memory are cited as a factor.
The iPhone 17 series recorded strong sales in its first year on the market, suggesting strong demand for the standard model. In addition, launch timings have been staggered since 2025, and the introduction of the foldable Duo is seen as a catalyst for reorganizing the lineup.
In Japan, prices for current models, including the iPhone 18 Pro, have risen, as have prices for the iPhone 17/17e and iPhone Air. Surging memory and storage costs are driving higher domestic prices, a development separate from the price changes in the US.