5 Apple Products You Should Wait To Buy Until Next Year
Written by
Ashley Donohoe
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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Apple has already refreshed some of its popular products this year, including the MacBook Air and Mac Studio, with the iPhone and Apple Watch also among the company’s anticipated fall 2025 releases.
However, other gadgets haven’t seen updates since 2024 or earlier, which makes it important to time your purchases carefully so you get the best value for Apple’s premium prices. Here are five Apple products that you should probably wait until 2026 to buy.
Also here is how to pay less for Apple products.
iPhone 17(e)
Apple is expected to announce its new iPhone 17 lineup in September 2025, so you don’t have to wait too long if you’re in the market for the updated standard, Pro and Pro Max models. But if you’re on a budget, it may be worth waiting for the more basic iPhone 17(e), which is rumored to come out in spring 2026.
According to 9 to 5 Mac, you can expect the iPhone 17(e) to have the faster A19 chip and possibly an upgraded modem, though the overall design and single camera may remain the same. Macworld estimated that the iPhone 17(e) could sell at the iPhone 16(e)’s current retail price of $599 or go up to $699, depending on how Apple places it in the lineup.
Apple Studio Display
The current 27-inch Apple Studio Display has been a hot pick for those who’d like a 5K Retina screen with a built-in camera and speakers to accompany their MacBook, Mac Mini or Mac Studio. However, the monitor has not had any updates since its release in March 2022.
Rather than splurging $1,599 or more now, consider waiting for the rumored Apple Studio Display 2, which could finally come out in early 2026 after multiple delays. In August 2025, MacRumors wrote that the upgraded model might have the A19 Pro chip and possibly mini-LED backlighting, though the specifics (including its pricing and size) are still unknown.
iPad Air
The most recent iPad Air came out in May 2024 and remains a smart buy if you’d like a powerful everyday tablet at a competitive starting price of $599 (11-inch) or $799 (13-inch). But if you can hold off until next spring, you can expect a new release with a performance boost.
In July 2025, Bloomberg reported that the updated tablet should launch in March or April 2026 and feature the M4 chip, which should give you a faster experience when using apps and help improve the battery life. MacRumors and Apple Insider also noted an upcoming iPad Air with an OLED display, but it’s unclear whether that will wait for 2027.
Apple HomePod
Released in February 2023, the current Apple HomePod does the job if you just want a smart speaker for playing music and issuing Siri requests. But the $299 smart home device lacks the interactive touchscreen of its competitors, like the Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show.
An August 2025 Bloomberg article noted that Apple was working on a smart home hub that would have a 7-inch display attached to a speaker base and feature a special Siri-powered operating system, which has the codename “Charismatic.” If you’d like that functionality, this home gadget may be worth the wait in 2026, but prepare to pay a likely higher price.
MacBook Pro
Apple announced the most recent 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models in October 2024 and a refresh with the M5 chip was initially expected in late 2025. However, an August 2025 post from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated that new MacBooks may wait until 2026.
With the premium laptops currently starting at $1,599 to $2,499 (based on the screen size), consider holding off for the next release to get the faster processor. You can also consider opting for a refurbished version of the current MacBook Pro at a discount.
According to 9 to 5 Mac, even bigger changes are rumoured with a late 2026 release, including an updated design and OLED display upgrade. Macworld mentioned that a 5G-enabled MacBook Pro is also in the works.
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