The iPhone 18e May Get (Slightly) Larger — And Finally Ditch the Notch
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Following a report last week that the iPhone 18 could get a bigger battery, another leaker is chiming in to say that the budget iPhone 18e model could follow in a different way — by growing to match the size of its larger sibling.
From 2018, when the iPhone XR effectively ushered in the two-tier iPhone family, until 2024, every standard iPhone model sported a 6.1-inch display, although OLED remained limited to the higher-end “Pro” models for the first two years, arriving in 2020 with the iPhone 12. That same year, the smaller iPhone Pro jumped from 5.8 inches to 6.1 inches — and was found to be using the same display panel.
That changed in 2021 when the iPhone 13 Pro models finally gained a 120 Hz ProMotion display, but the size remained consistent until the iPhone 16 Pro pushed it up to 6.3 inches in 2024. The iPhone 17 followed in 2025 (while also getting the boost to 120 Hz). Now, if the latest report is accurate, the iPhone 18e will close the loop early next year.
That’s according to a new Weibo post from Fixed Focus Digital, who shares a diagram that they note is already making the rounds online.
The diagram uses what appear to be internal codenames of “Taycan” for the iPhone 18 and “Nevera” for the iPhone 18e, accompanied by internal product codes V67 and V69, both of which have previously been found in iOS 27 beta code and are already widely believed to represent those two models. For comparison, the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo are V63, V64, and V68.
The single-camera layout makes it clear that “Nevera” represents the iPhone 18e, and it clearly shows the two devices at the same size. Fixed Focus Digital notes the 6.3-inch screen, and reiterates that they believe some components will be interchangeable between the two models.
Most significantly, both models feature the same 4,430 mAh steel-encased battery and logic board layout, suggesting that whatever battery life increases come to the iPhone 18 will also be shared by the iPhone 18e, although the choice of screen technology will also play a part.
While this latest report contradicts an earlier leak from Digital Chat Station, who claimed that the iPhone 18e would retain a 6.12-inch 60 Hz LTPS OLED, the move to a 6.3-inch screen is plausible, as Apple often phases these changes in gradually, trickling down from its Pro models year over year.
The only catch is that this doesn’t necessarily happen after only a single year. While the iPhone 17 gained the 6.3-inch display from the iPhone 16 Pro, it was also the first time a non-Pro iPhone got a 120 Hz display — an upgrade that initially came with the iPhone 13 Pro in 2021, and was enhanced with an Always-On display in the iPhone 14 Pro.
That actually leads to the biggest question about all this: will the iPhone 18e get the 120 Hz bump? That seems unlikely for Apple’s budget model, but it’s impossible to rule it out, and the rumors of a 6.3-inch display make the case for it even stronger.
Apple has never produced a 60 Hz 6.3-inch OLED panel. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t start doing so, but it’s equally possible it might just have the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e share the same screen, leaving the camera system as the primary differentiator between the two models.
We wouldn’t recommend holding your breath, as that would be a pretty big upgrade for Apple’s e-series iPhone models. Still, it might also take some of the sting out of the recent price increases — and Apple has been pressuring its OLED suppliers for better deals to help offset rising memory costs.
A larger screen would also make it all but certain that the iPhone 18e will finally embrace the Dynamic Island. We’d already have put the odds of that as better than 50-50, as the main reason it’s been excluded so far appears to be that Apple is using old iPhone 14 displays.
However, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 sported 6.1-inch OLED LTPS displays with a Dynamic Island, and even if Apple does pivot to 6.3-inch 60 Hz LTPS displays for the iPhone 18e, it’s absurd to imagine the company making them with a notch.
At this point, it’s hard to predict which direction Apple will go in, as the iPhone 18e will be only the third generation of that family, so we have no meaningful historical trend to look at yet.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]
