On August 28, according to technology website 9to5mac, iPhone 17 will be released soon. Due to Apple's future release strategy adjustments, this phone is expected to break the record for the longest iPhone flagship model sales time set 15 years ago.
Currently, this record belongs to the iPhone 4. The phone went on sale in June 2010 and remained Apple's flagship iPhone model until the release of the iPhone 4S in October 2011. Because Apple adjusted its flagship phone release cycle from summer to autumn that year,The iPhone 4's flagship status lasted for nearly 16 months.
It's been an especially frustrating time for consumers waiting for the iPhone 5. Apple did not directly release the iPhone 5, but first launched the iPhone 4S, which looked almost the same as the iPhone 4. The changes were mainly internal: Siri made its debut, the camera was upgraded, and the performance was improved.
Since then, no iPhone has been able to break the 15-plus-month flagship sales record set by the iPhone 4. The closest thing is the iPhone 11 Pro. After the release of the iPhone 12 was delayed due to the epidemic, its iPhone 11 Pro status was maintained for 13 months. There are some exceptions, such as the interval between iPhone SE to SE 2 and then to iPhone 16e, which is more than four years each time, but these are deliberate arrangements and not a flagship release cycle.
Main iPhone models sold
However, according to the latest rumors, Apple is considering staggering the release time of the basic iPhone and Pro models, so the iPhone 18 will not be released until the spring of 2027. This means that iPhone 17 will be sold as Apple's flagship model for about 18 months, breaking the record of iPhone 4 and setting a new standard iPhone flagship model sales record.
A major difference between the iPhone 4 era and today is the existence of the Pro series. The transition from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S has caused a "dry period" for consumers to wait for upgrades. And this time, in the upgrade cycle from iPhone 17 to iPhone 18, the Pro series (and the upcoming Air series) will still be released. In addition, Apple is expected to launch its first foldable iPhone. The foldable model will be the most radical hardware change in iPhone history, but the iPhone 17 is still expected to take the crown for the longest sales period of the standard flagship model.
The shortest-lived iPhone
So, which flagship iPhone models have been on sale the shortest? The cycle from iPhone 12 to iPhone 13 is worth mentioning. After the epidemic caused a delay in the release of iPhone 12, Apple adjusted its pace. This cycle only lasted 11 months.
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