- iPhone 18 Pro could come with a 5G satellite upgrade
- A partnership with Starlink could be in the offing
- Apple Rumored to Make Future Amazing iPhone Launches
If rumors are to be believed, Apple could be changing its iPhone offering quite significantly in the coming years, and the latest leak points to a notable connectivity improvement for the iPhone 18 Pro.
Of course, we just introduced the iPhone 17 Pro last month, but The Information (via 9to5Google) already has some rumors about its successor: specifically, that 5G satellite support could arrive next year.
The next iPhones, presumably led by the iPhone 18 Pro, would add support for “5G networks that are not connected to the Earth’s surface, which includes satellites,” according to sources who spoke to The Information.
Starting with the iPhone 14 that launched in 2022, Apple phones can now send a limited amount of emergency information over satellite networks. With full support for 5G, all the usual phone and app features would also be supported.
Look at Starlinks
There’s an interesting additional detail in this report from The Information: SpaceX is apparently adding support for the same radio spectrum that Globalstar uses in the new designs it’s working on for its own Starlink satellites.
Globalstar is the satellite company that provides Apple with emergency satellite coverage for its iPhones (and the new Apple Watch Ultra 3). The implication is that a partnership between Apple and Starlink might not be far away.
It’s still early for this rumor, so it’s unclear how it will play out. Apple originally hinted that it would eventually start charging for satellite connectivity on its phones, although that hasn’t happened yet. Support for 5G satellites could change that.
While specific rumors about the iPhone 18 series have been fairly scarce so far, it’s looking increasingly likely that Apple could start staggering its phone releases throughout the year, starting in 2026.
That could mean that the base iPhone 18 will launch in spring 2026 and the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will launch in September 2026, as usual, although this is highly speculation at the moment.
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