The iPhone 18e will not feature a ProMotion display, according to Weibo-based supply chain leaker Digital Chat Station. The display downgrade is specific to the lower-cost 18e model, while the standard iPhone 18 will retain 120Hz as expected.
Digital Chat Station, who correctly called the iPhone 17e’s notch at a time when other sources were insisting it would get the Dynamic Island, posted on Weibo that the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e share interchangeable parts at the supply chain level. That overlap is significant because it implies the two devices are being engineered in parallel with converging specifications in certain areas, rather than the traditional top-down differentiation Apple has applied to the “e” lineup since its introduction.
The display situation on the iPhone 18e is described as a step backward relative to the standard iPhone 18, with the 18e missing out on the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. Engineering validation testing for both devices is reportedly happening simultaneously in June, which reinforces the idea that Apple is treating them as a closely related pair despite the display difference.
On the chip side, the leaker says it is “highly probable” that Apple will adjust the A-series chip branding to obscure the extent of the downgrade between tiers. The current iPhone 17 uses an A19 chip with a 5-core GPU, while the iPhone 17e carries a 4-core version of the same chip. If the iPhone 18e drops to 4 cores as well while the iPhone 18 retains more GPU resources, a rebrand could help Apple avoid that comparison being immediately obvious. For context on how Apple already differentiates GPU tiers within the same chip generation, see iPhone 17 Pro features vs iPhone 17.
There is some good news in the spec picture. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports the A20 chip planned for both the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e will feature 9GB of RAM, using a 1.5GB x 6 die configuration rather than the 2GB x 4 arrangement in current lower-end iPhone 17 models. A separate report from KB Securities via DigiTimes says the standard iPhone 18 will carry 12GB of RAM to support Apple’s more demanding on-device AI features. Both the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e are also expected to adopt Apple’s next-generation C2 modem, which would add mmWave 5G connectivity and eliminate the remaining Qualcomm modems from the lineup. The current C1X modem in the iPhone 17e is limited to sub-6GHz speeds, so this would be a genuine upgrade for 18e buyers.
The leaker frames the component sharing and spec differences as a pricing strategy. Rather than raise the iPhone 18e’s retail price in an environment where Apple has already increased Mac and iPad prices in 2026, the company appears to be holding the line on cost by trimming specifications on the lower-end model instead. Omitting ProMotion from the 18e is the kind of change that keeps costs down without requiring a price increase that would show up directly in a spec sheet comparison.
Another important point to note is that Apple is splitting its iPhone 18 lineup across two launch windows, with the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first foldable iPhone arriving in September 2026, while the standard iPhone 18, the iPhone 18e, and possibly a second-generation iPhone Air are planned for spring 2027. That co-launch schedule, combined with shared engineering and a clear display tier between the two models, points toward Apple positioning the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e as closely related but meaningfully differentiated options, with ProMotion serving as one of the clearest distinctions between them.
