Apple’s plans for early 2026

Apple is expected to have a really busy start to 2026. Here’s what should be updated and released by the company in the first six months of the year.

Following Apple’s fall launches, including the usual September iPhone 17 rollout and the subsequent M5 introduction, the next batch of products is expected to arrive in early 2026. After the holiday sales period, Apple typically waits until March before it brings out new products.

However, with April 1 marking Apple’s 50th anniversary, it will be an opportune time for it to introduce new products, proposes Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman on Sunday. This does make sense, considering Apple’s usual product release cadence, but especially if you take into account the major milestone anniversary.

As usual, the rumor mill has already made many predictions and forecasts of what Apple will do next, and when. That includes quite a few products that Gurman mentions in his newsletter roundup.

This is what is believed to be on the way from Apple in the first half of 2026.

iPhone 17e

The iPhone 16e was brought out in early 2025 as the entry-level replacement of the iPhone SE line. The current expectation is for Apple to follow up with the iPhone 17e, continuing the new budget-focused line with regular releases.

This would be a departure from the SE release strategy, as that model had periodic updates. The “e” iPhone line is thought tom be a turn toward annual updates, like the rest of the main iPhone lineup.

Rumors have said that a spring 2026 launch is probable or in the first half of 2026 at least. However, a February launch is probable if Apple is to keep to a firm annual update schedule.

The model is rumored to have a 6.1-inch display, slightly smaller than the iPhone 17’s 6.3-inch model. However, some rumors have leaned on the idea of Apple reusing the display of the existing iPhone 16e.

A new display would be advantageous, as it would mean the iPhone 17e would gain the Dynamic Island, finally disposing of the frequently-criticized notch.

Apple’s usual annual upgrade involves a new tier of chip, and that should be the same for the iPhone 17e. While the iPhone 16e uses the A18 chip, the iPhone 17e should shift over to the A19.

This could be a massive change for the model, as it would mean a considerable increase in performance for the model. Complete with the use of Neural Accelerators in the GPU, this could mean the iPhone 17e will be an AI powerhouse and be a great low-cost option for consumers wanting to capitalize on the technology.

iPad, iPad Air, iPad mini

Apple last updated the iPad and iPad Air in March 2025. However, unlike the iPhone 17e, there are relatively few rumors about the models.

As an educated guess, which Gurman also made, Apple could update both with the next chip up in performance for each. That would be the A18 for the iPad and the M4 for the iPad Air.

The lack of rumors also means it’s less likely for there to be any real hardware changes aside from a specification bump. The upcoming models will probably be identical in appearance to the current-gen versions.

iPad mini could gain OLED in 2026

The exception is the iPad mini, which has been rumored about.

The eighth-generation iPad mini is expected to be a bit of a pocket-sized powerhouse compared to the standard iPad. There are rumors that it will jump from the A17 Pro chip to the A19 Pro, as used in the iPhone 17 Pro lineup.

A bigger and more obvious change is OLED, as there are suspicions that the iPad mini will start using it in 2026. The iPad Air is also set to gain OLED for the display, but not until 2027.

A spring launch for the iPad mini would be about 18 months after the previous model’s launch, which is a plausible amount of time for Apple to wait for an update here.

M5 MacBook Air

Following Apple’s introduction of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5, it’s only natural for that chip to spread to other models. That means it will be arriving in the MacBook Air at some point.

MacBook Air should get an M5 upgrade, but no OLED yet.

Gurman is quite certain about the MacBook Air getting M5 as part of the 2026 releases, and the rumor mill agrees. Product identifiers revealed to AppleInsider in July 2025 indicate that the New MacBook Air with M5 should arrive in early 2026.

It seems that Apple will still be going down the route of providing 13-inch and 15-inch models to consumers, but it again seems to be little more than a spec-bump upgrade again.

There are rumors that OLED versions are on the way. However, you will be waiting until 2028 at the earliest for that change to occur.

Following Apple’s introduction of the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5, it’s only natural for that chip to spread to other models. That means it will be arriving in the MacBook Air at some point.

Gurman is quite certain about the MacBook Air getting M5 as part of the 2026 releases, and the rumor mill agrees. Product identifiers found in July 2025 indicate that the new MacBook Air with M5 should arrive in early 2026.

It seems that Apple will still be going down the route of providing 13-inch and 15-inch models to consumers, but it again seems to be little more than a spec-bump upgrade again.

There are rumors that OLED versions are on the way. However, you will be waiting until 2028 at the earliest for that change to occur.

M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro-tier

Apple tends to launch the base M5 chip at first, then brings out Pro and Max versions a few months down the road. With the prospect of more MacBook Pro updates following the initial M5 release in the spring, that tallies up to Apple’s usual schedule.

However, much like many other products, you shouldn’t expect much more than a spec-bump update again.

It’s not because of a lack of rumors for the model, more a ton of them for the next in line after that.

The MacBook Pro could get a massive update late in 2026

There has been speculation that, for the 50th anniversary, Apple will introduce a revamped MacBook Pro later in 2026. One that involves an updated chassis, and possibly OLED.

There is a bit of a problem with claims about this model, as they all point to a late 2026 launch. If Apple does launch M5 Pro and Max versions of the MacBook Pro early in 2026, it would mean that the upgraded models would arrive mere months later, with the next generation again of M-series chip.

This seems implausible as launching a full revamp so soon after a smaller refresh could cannibalize sales. There’s also the possibility that, if Apple really is serious about an M6 update late in 2026 with Pro and Max variants, it could skip the Pro and Max MacBook Pro update entirely.

If our product identifier leak is correct, that’s entirely a possibility.

Mac mini, Mac Studio

When it comes to the Mac mini and Mac Studio, there are few real rumors about what to expect, save for the educated guess of an M5 refresh.

However, macOS Tahoe pretty much confirmed that the two models will be arriving, possibly in the summer of 2026.

If it follows the current models options, that could mean a Mac mini with M5 and M5 Pro options, and a Mac Studio with M5 Max. However, the Ultra side of things may stick with the M3 Ultra for the moment.

Displays

While Gurman doesn’t mention displays in his roundup, there are some that he previously discussed. This includes a pair of codenames for monitors that were mentioned as coming in the spring of 2026, alongside the new Macs.

One was thought to be a next-generation Studio Display, which could finally switch from LED backlighting to miniLED, not OLED.

The two codenames could signify two different sizes of display, with a 27-inch model alongside a larger model, possibly 32 inches.

Resolutions have been proposed to hit 7K, up from the existing Studio Display’s 5K Retina resolution and even the 6K Pro Display XDR. There have also been mentions of the inclusion of ProMotion and Thunderbolt 5 support.

Smart Home push

Apple has been long rumored to be preparing a big push into smart home products. While that could eventually result in the rumored robotic product launches, the more immediate hardware launches will be less fanciful.

Gurman writes that Apple’s smart home strategy will kick off in March and April, with the launch of its first smart display. It will ship in speaker-base and wall-mounted varieties, and will help lay the groundwork for things like smart cameras later in the year.

It should also coincide with the introduction of a new Siri voice assistant, which has been a long-time coming. That is, if it doesn’t suffer even more delays.

One concept of an Apple Home Hub

There have been reported shortages of some smart home products like the HomePod mini and the Apple TV, hinting at minor updates for each. But the main rumors are about the smart screen.

Previous rumors have indicated it could be an iPad-like screen, designed to be a “Hone Hub” or a smart home controller. A June leak indicated it could have a resolution of 2,176 pixels wide, which may make it the same ballpark in terms of size as the iPad mini, in theory.

A built-in camera and microphone, an A18 chip, and 8GB of memory have been claimed. That, along with connectivity via Thread and Matter standards to handle communications with smart home hardware.