Apple Watch Series 12 models with a ceramic case are physically larger than the same model in aluminum or titanium, according to Apple's own tech specs.


At 46mm, Apple's tech specs page lists the aluminum and titanium case at 46mm by 40mm by 9.7mm, while the ceramic case sold under the same 46mm name measures 47mm by 41mm by 9.85mm, a millimeter taller, a millimeter wider, and 0.15mm thicker. The 42mm size follows the same pattern: 42mm by 37mm by 9.7mm for aluminum and titanium, versus 43mm by 37mm by 9.85mm for ceramic, a millimeter taller and 0.15mm thicker, with the width unchanged.

The display is unaffected. Apple lists the same 1,196 sq mm display area at 46mm and 970 sq mm at 42mm across all three materials, meaning the extra size is entirely case, not screen.

The ceramic models are also heavier. At 46mm, the Pearl White ceramic case weighs 51.3 grams and Night Blue weighs 52.9 grams, against 39.5 grams for the equivalent aluminum model and 44.9 grams for titanium, up to 34% heavier than aluminum and 18% heavier than titanium. The 42mm ceramic models weigh 41.7 grams in Pearl White and 42.8 grams in Night Blue, against 32.2 grams for aluminum and 36.5 grams for titanium, up to 33% heavier than aluminum and 17% heavier than titanium.

This appears to be the first time Apple has sold different physical case dimensions under the same nominal watch size. The increased size is presumably a design compromise owing to the entirely different material, although the earlier ceramic Apple Watch Edition models used identical case dimensions across materials at a given size, with only the weight changing between them.

Ceramic returns to the Apple Watch lineup with the Series 12 after a six-year absence, having last been offered on Series 5 in 2019 before Apple dropped it for Series 6 in 2020.

Apple Watch Series 12 in ceramic starts at $899, compared with $399 for aluminum and $699 for titanium, in Pearl White or Night Blue finishes. It launches on September 18.
This article, "Ceramic Apple Watch Series 12 Is Bigger and Heavier Than Other Models" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The Apple Watch Series 12 pairs a smaller display with a wider case than Series 10 and Series 11, even though the pixel resolution hasn't changed, according to Apple's own tech specs.


For the 46mm Series 12, Apple's tech specs page lists the display area at 1,196 sq mm, down 2% from 1,220 sq mm on Series 10 and Series 11. The 42mm size shows a similar 1.9% drop, from 989 sq mm to 970 sq mm. Pixel counts are identical across all three generations: 416 by 496 at 46mm, and 374 by 446 at 42mm.

The case grows as the screen shrinks. Apple's Series 12 tech specs list the 46mm case at 46mm by 40mm by 9.7mm, a millimeter wider than the 46mm by 39mm by 9.7mm case on Series 10 and Series 11, a roughly 2.6% increase in case footprint. The 42mm case grew from 42mm by 36mm to 42mm by 37mm over the same span, about 2.8%, with depth unchanged at 9.7mm for both sizes.

A smaller display combined with a bigger casing means bigger borders around the display, and it looks like Apple has also tweaked the design of the Series 12 to recede the casing and expand the front glass, which makes the borders look even larger.

There's recent precedent for a change like this translating into a visibly thicker bezel. Series 10 went through a similar shift when it replaced Series 9 in 2024, growing the case around the display. The Series 10's visible aluminum edge had actually shrunk by around 33% versus Series 9, while the total bezel, including the black glass border, had grown by about 17%, even though the case and display figures looked like an improvement on paper.

It looks like the Series 12 repeats that pattern, although to a less extreme extent. Unlike the Series 9 to Series 10 change, which was a full case redesign, Series 10, Series 11, and Series 12 all share the same approximate case design. The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 and launches on September 18.
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Apple's tech specs suggest the iPhone Duo's Main camera sensor is seemingly a match for the iPhone 17e's, not the standard iPhone 17's.


According to Apple's tech specs page for the iPhone Duo, the Main camera is a 26mm, ƒ/1.6 sensor with sensor-shift optical image stabilization and Hybrid Focus Pixels, also enabling a 12MP 2x Telephoto crop from the same sensor. The iPhone 17e's tech specs page lists an identical 26mm, ƒ/1.6 Main camera with Hybrid Focus Pixels, the same autofocus terminology Apple uses for the ‌iPhone Duo‌.

The match is not total, though. The ‌iPhone 17e‌'s tech specs describes plain "optical image stabilization" with no "sensor-shift" qualifier, while the ‌iPhone Duo‌'s does include it. That detail instead lines up with the standard iPhone 17's tech specs page, which pairs sensor-shift OIS with a different autofocus term, "100% Focus Pixels," the wording iPhone 18 Pro's tech specs page also uses but Duo and 17e do not.

This suggests that the Main camera of the ‌iPhone Duo‌ realistically falls somewhere between the ‌iPhone 17e‌ and ‌iPhone 17‌, possessing the sensor-shift optical image stabilization of the ‌iPhone 17‌, but with an iPhone 17e-style sensor that uses Hybrid Focus Pixels.

The overlapping Focus Pixels wording with the 17e is fueling speculation online that the two devices share a sensor. Apple has not published a sensor size or pixel pitch for the ‌iPhone Duo‌'s Main camera, leaving the matching Focus Pixels wording as the only official link to the 17e for now.

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ starts at $1,999, with pre-orders opening October 16 ahead of an October 23 release.
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Apple yesterday announced the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, succeeding the iPhone 17 Pro that launched last September. The new models are built around the A20 Pro chip, a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, a redesigned vapor chamber, and a smaller Dynamic Island.


Last year's ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ brought one of the biggest design changes to the lineup in years, switching from a titanium frame and glass back to an aluminum unibody with Ceramic Shield 2. With that overhaul out of the way, this year's update is more about what's inside the phone than a new look, focused on the chip, camera, and battery rather than another redesign. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, which shares nearly all of these changes, also gets a battery capacity increase of its own, delivering the largest jump in battery life in the iPhone's history.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ starts at $1,199 for 256GB, up from the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s $1,099 starting price. Our guide breaks down every difference between the two generations to help you decide whether the upgrade is worth it. Here's everything that differs between the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌:

Chip, Performance, and Connectivity

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ (2025)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
A19 Pro chip	A20 Pro chip
Built with TSMC's N3P process (3nm)	Built with TSMC's N2 process (2nm), Apple's first 2nm smartphone chip
6-core CPU with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores	6-core CPU with 2 super cores and 4 efficiency cores
	50% more memory bandwidth than A19 Pro
6-core GPU with Neural Accelerators	7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, up to 40% faster than A19 Pro
16-core Neural Engine	Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 total cores)
Vapor chamber cooling	Next-generation vapor chamber with 3x more surface area than ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌'s, up to 40% higher sustained performance
	New chip packaging that places silicon die beside memory, allowing it to attach directly to the vapor chamber
Qualcomm X80 modem	Apple C2 modem

Rear Camera

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ (2025)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
Fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture on the 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera	Variable-aperture 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with four stops: ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0, using six laser-cut blades
	API available for developers to control the aperture range within their own apps
	Faster Night mode, tied to the new variable-aperture lens
	Pro controls in the Camera app: manual lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram
	New sensor and computational imaging pipeline on the Fusion Main camera, delivering around 50% better low-light performance and more detail in the back of group photos
Photographic Styles 2, adjusting tone and color	Photographic Styles 3, adding texture and grain controls alongside tone and color
	Smart focus tracking
Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps	Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps
	Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture, on video shot at up to 60 fps
	Improved low-light video
	Time-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision
	Apple Reference Image (Fusion Main only), an opt-in feature that signs sensor data so a photo's authenticity can later be verified
Audio Mix	Audio Mix with new algorithms for higher-quality voices, and the ability to isolate music

Front Camera

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ (2025)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
Photographic Styles 2, adjusting tone and color	Photographic Styles 3, adding texture and grain controls alongside tone and color
	Smart focus tracking
	Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture
	Improved low-light video
	Time-lapse video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision

Weight and Design

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ (2025)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
iPhone 17 Pro: Weighs 7.27 ounces (206 grams) iPhone 17 Pro Max: Weighs 8.22 ounces (233 grams)	iPhone 18 Pro: Weighs 7.44 ounces (211 grams) iPhone 18 Pro Max: Weighs 8.78 ounces (249 grams)
‌Dynamic Island‌ supports up to two simultaneous Live Activities	Smaller ‌Dynamic Island‌, supports up to three simultaneous Live Activities
Available in Silver, Deep Blue, and Cosmic Orange	Available in Silver, Black, Glacier, and Burgundy

Battery and Charging

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ (2025)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
iPhone 17 Pro: Up to 33 hours of video playback, up to 30 hours streamed iPhone 17 Pro Max: Up to 39 hours of video playback, up to 35 hours streamed	iPhone 18 Pro: Up to 36 hours of video playback, up to 33 hours streamed iPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 45 hours of video playback, up to 40 hours streamed
Up to 50% charge in 20 minutes with a 40W adapter or higher	Up to 50% charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter with Adjustable Voltage Supply
Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 30W adapter or higher, paired with a MagSafe Charger	Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higher, paired with a ‌MagSafe‌ Charger

Storage and Pricing

‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ (2025)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
iPhone 17 Pro: Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 17 Pro Max: Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage	Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage
iPhone 17 Pro: Launched at $1,099 (256GB) iPhone 17 Pro Max: Launched at $1,199 (256GB)	iPhone 18 Pro: $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,799 (1TB), $2,399 (2TB) iPhone 18 Pro Max: $1,299 (256GB), $1,499 (512GB), $1,899 (1TB), $2,499 (2TB)
Discontinued and no longer sold directly by Apple, now only available via third-parties	iPhone 18 Pro: Sold directly by Apple, from $49.95 a month for 24 months via Apple Upgrade iPhone 18 Pro Max: Sold directly by Apple, from $54.12 a month for 24 months via Apple Upgrade

Apple's redesigned vapor chamber and the A20 Pro's move to TSMC's 2nm process are among the most important updates under the hood this year, and together they raise sustained performance and unlock longer battery life. Battery life rises from 33 hours on the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ to 36 hours, and from 39 to 45 hours on the Pro Max, which is the largest battery gain Apple has delivered on an iPhone. Charging is faster too, reaching 50% in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter, down from 20 minutes last year.

The ‌Dynamic Island‌ sees the most visible external change, shrinking in size while expanding from two simultaneous Live Activities to three, letting users track a flight, a Maps route, and a timer at once without switching apps.

The most significant leap is the Main camera. It trades its fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture on the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ for a four-stop variable aperture ranging from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4.0, delivering around 50% better low-light performance and giving photographers optical control over depth of field that the iPhone has never offered before. Paired with new Pro controls for manual aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, Photographic Styles 3's added texture and grain sliders, and Apple Reference Image for verifying a photo's authenticity, the camera system does more to justify the Pro name than anything else in this update.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is clearly aimed at photographers and creators, but the longer battery life, faster charging, and more capable ‌Dynamic Island‌ give casual users real reasons to notice the difference too. Compared with last year's aluminum unibody overhaul, this is a more targeted upgrade rather than a wholesale reinvention, but between the chip, the camera, and the battery gains.

For existing ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ or ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max owners, there is no general-purpose reason to upgrade to either new model. The core design, display sizes, and everyday camera experience carry over largely unchanged, and both new models cost $100 more than their ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ equivalent. The upgrade is worth it if you specifically want variable aperture and manual Pro controls for photography, or if you rely on sustained performance for gaming or on-device AI tasks where the A20 Pro's cooling and Neural Engine gains will be most noticeable, but realistically this will only encompass a minority of users.

For new buyers coming from an iPhone 16 Pro or older, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is the better long-term purchase given the newer chip and camera system. That being said, if you can get an ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ at a substantially lower price, it is probably worth buying last year's model instead.

Pre-orders for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max open Saturday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.
This article, "iPhone 17 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro: 35+ Upgrades Compared" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple may be exploring a way to let search providers show sponsored results inside Visual Intelligence, according to code uncovered in iOS 27.



The find comes from MacRumors' Aaron Perris, who said in a post on X that the code points to Apple allowing search providers to insert their own sponsored results into ‌Visual Intelligence‌, rather than Apple selling the ad space itself. He compared it to the sponsored product listings already seen on Amazon and Google. It is not clear whether Apple would take a cut of ad revenue.

The feature would let third party search providers, such as Google, insert items such as sponsored product images alongside the organic results ‌Visual Intelligence‌ already returns when a user points their camera at an item to shop for it. That would set it apart from the advertising pushes Apple has driven directly in its own apps over the past year.

Apple has been steadily expanding its advertising business across the App Store and Maps. The company began showing additional sponsored slots in ‌App Store‌ search results in March, and ads went live in Apple Maps in the United States and Canada last month.

‌Visual Intelligence‌ already routes shopping queries to services like Google Image Search and retailers such as Etsy, Amazon, and Anthropologie, so ad supported results from those partners would build on functionality that already exists in ‌iOS 27‌.
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Apple has detailed how iOS 27 was rebuilt to adapt in real time to the iPhone Duo, the company's first foldable iPhone, reshaping the interface as the device folds, unfolds, and switches between its two displays.


Lock Screen controls, the Dock, and app navigation elements now sit along the side of the display instead of across the bottom, freeing up vertical space for content. When open, the ‌iPhone Duo‌ shows two Home Screen pages. The status bar is now a circular, flexible system that fits into the corner of the screen, and the Dynamic Island runs vertically along the side of the outer display.


The interface also changes based on the device's angle. It reorients when the phone is turned on its side and switches to the appropriate display when flipped over. Apple said building this required changing how individual apps lay out content as the screen changes shape, including moving the Dock to a vertical orientation. Controls stay anchored to the side of the screen throughout, and the Lock Screen moves its buttons aside to give more room for the wallpaper.


The ‌iPhone Duo‌ supports side-by-side multitasking, which is a first for the iPhone. Split View lets users run two apps at once, and it's possible to open two windows of the same app, such as Safari, or use Siri AI on one side of the screen while viewing content on the other. Users can swipe up from the bottom to switch apps or save a pair of apps to return to later.


The software also adjusts to how the phone is angled rather than just whether it's open or closed. Content shifts away from the crease when the device is partially folded, where taps are harder to register, and audio tuning algorithms account for the changing distance between the speakers as the phone moves through different positions. When laid flat on a table, iOS uses sensors in each half of the device to let users view content without a stand.


Setting the ‌iPhone Duo‌ down triggers StandBy on whichever display faces up, even when the phone isn't charging, turning it into a photo frame, widget hub, or clock. New Calendar and Weather faces join the existing Clock and Modular options, the Photos face now shows Shared Albums, and each face supports additional colors, fonts, and complications.


Apple has built new APIs for developers to adapt their apps to the dual-display design, and the ‌iPhone Duo‌ support is coming to Device Hub in Xcode. Netflix, Zoom, and Slack have already updated their apps to make use of the larger inner display.


The folding design also enables four camera features not available on other iPhone models. Smart Take uses on-device AI running on the A20 Pro's Neural Engine to analyze a scene and automatically capture a photo when its subjects are posing.

Duo Preview shows a live camera preview on the outer display so a subject can check their framing before taking a shot. Kid Cue plays Peanuts animations on the outer display to get a child's attention. Duo FaceTime lets people standing near the person on a call join in through the outer display.


There are a host of other features such as video playback controls and a keyboard that appear on the lower half of the display when set flat, a split keyboard when the display is partly folded, and more.

Pre-orders for ‌iPhone Duo‌ open at 5 a.m. Pacific on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23.
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The Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 feature a refreshed band lineup for the fall, adding new colors and materials.



Here's a breakdown of what's new across the band lineup:

• Sport Band: New Navy Blue, Magenta, Olive, Burgundy, Wildflower Blue, Pale Succulent, Sand, and Black colors for Apple Watch Series 12.


• Sport Band (ceramic hardware): Sand and Navy Blue to match the new ceramic Apple Watch Series 12 models; not available as a standalone purchase.


• Sport Loop: New Olive, Burgundy, Limestone, Magenta, and Chambray Blue colors, plus a new inkjet-printed plaid pattern in Burgundy and Light Umber.


• Nike Sport Band and Nike Sport Loop: Five new colors; Essential White, Chalk Calm, Pavement Grey, After Dark Black, and Green Spark.


• Milanese Loop: New Radiant Gold and Natural colors to match the titanium case, plus a new Dark Bronze option, priced at $99.


• Link Bracelet: A new stainless steel bracelet in Radiant Gold and Natural, priced at $349.


• Modern Buckle: New woven material with flecks of color, in Mulberry, Camel, Sage, and Navy Blue, now available with gold hardware for the first time alongside natural hardware, priced at $199 (42mm only).


• Magnetic Link: Available in Wildflower Blue, Burgundy, Camel, and Midnight, priced at $99.


• Solo Loop: New Wildflower Blue, Burgundy, Olive, and Navy Blue colors, priced at $49.


• Braided Solo Loop: New Olive, Magenta, Wildflower Blue, Burgundy, Navy Blue, and Black colors, priced at $99.


• Trail Loop: New Dark Umber, Sand, and Burgundy colors for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, priced at $99 (49mm only).


• Alpine Loop: New Desert, Dark Olive, and Burgundy colors for the Ultra 4, priced at $99 (49mm only).


• Ocean Band: Now made from a translucent silicone material, offered in Translucent Gray, Translucent Kelp, and Translucent Black, priced at $99 (49mm only).


• Hermès Noir Satin Clou de Selle: A new band with a gold-finish clasp and saddle stud, exclusively paired with the new Hermès radiant gold titanium case, priced at $499.


• Hermès Rocabar Club: A new knitted H pattern band inspired by horse-jumping competitions, in four Bleu Nuit colorways paired with Gris Titane, Orange, Bleu Brighton, and Vert accents, priced at $499.


• Hermès En Mer: A new water-resistant knit band for the Apple Watch Ultra 4 with a pillowed stripe and titanium buckle, in Argile, Bordeaux, Bleu Nuit, and Orange colorways, priced at $549 (49mm only).


• Hermès Scub'H Diving: A new rubber band for the Ultra 4 with circular porthole-like cutouts, in Vert Vertigo, Gris Titane, and Bleu De Malte colorways, priced at $549 (49mm only).


• Hermès Grand H Titane: A new titanium version of the Grand H bracelet for the Apple Watch Ultra 4, priced at $2,199 (49mm only).


• Hermès Kilim Single Tour: Bleu De Malte, Cuivre, and Béton colorways, priced at $499.

The new Apple Watch bands are available to order today, with availability in stores beginning Friday, September 18.
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Apple Watch Series 12 comes in a refreshed selection of case finishes and materials, including ceramic.



Here's a breakdown of the case types, finishes, and pricing across the new Apple Watch lineup:

• Apple Watch Series 12 (aluminum): Available in space gray, black, light gold, and dark bronze (starts at $399).


• Apple Watch Series 12 (titanium): Available in radiant gold and natural (starts at $699).


• Apple Watch Series 12 (ceramic): Available in pearl white and night blue (starts at $899).


• Apple Watch Ultra 4 (titanium): Available in natural and black finishes (starts at $799).


• Apple Watch Hermès Series 12 (titanium): Available in radiant gold and silver (starts at $1,399).
• Apple Watch Hermès Ultra 4 (titanium): Available in natural titanium (starts at $1,499).

The ceramic finish returns with the Series 12 this year, pairing with sand and navy blue Sport Bands that feature a ceramic pin-and-tuck closure to match the case.

Pre-orders for both Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 are open today, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.
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Apple today announced "Audio Intelligence," a new suite of Apple Intelligence-powered features for the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 that use the built-in microphone to help users catch missed moments in conversation and stay aware of important sounds.


The Apple Watch's Audio Intelligence comprises four features:

• Siri Recap: Uses ambient listening to generate high-level notes from conversations, such as takeaways from a team meeting or a parent-teacher conference, producing an Apple Intelligence-generated title, summary, and key points reviewable in the Siri app.


• Live Rewind: Lets users "go back in time for 15 seconds," transcribing and displaying what was just said in a conversation with a double press of the Digital Crown.


• Shazam: Automatically identifies music playing nearby and surfaces the song title and artist on the Music Recognition widget in the Smart Stack.


• Sound Recognition: Brings sound alerts to Apple Watch for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, listening for sirens, alarms, doorbells, a baby crying, and more, even when their iPhone isn't nearby.

Apple emphasized that ‌Siri‌ Recap is opt-in and configurable, telling users they "control if and when ‌Siri‌ Recap takes notes." Users can set it to always listen or schedule it for specific contexts, such as only at work or never at night, and can toggle it on or off at any time from Control Center. Apple reiterated that none of the Audio Intelligence features create or store audio recordings, with raw audio processed in an isolated Secure Exclave on the S11 chip and deleted immediately after use.

Audio Intelligence and ‌Siri‌ AI both require an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone, with Live Rewind and ‌Siri‌ Recap limited to the iPhone 16 or later (excluding the iPhone 16e).

The features arrive in beta later this year, starting in English, with additional languages to follow, and will not initially be available in the EU.
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The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 offer a range of new health and fitness features. Here's everything that's new.


Apple today revealed the following features for the two new devices:

• New "Health Sensing System": A redesigned sensor architecture with three main improvements, including increased electrode surface area for better ECG skin contact, photodiodes arranged in a ring for more efficient light capture, and larger, more power-efficient green LEDs for accurate heart rate readings during motion.


• Continuous heart rate sensing: Heart rate is now measured every five seconds throughout the day, 60 times more frequently than before, viewable via a new watch face complication.


• Higher-frequency HRV: Heart rate variability is sampled up to 24 times more often, with separate recovery and overall HRV values shown in a new section of the Heart Rate app.


• Daytime vitals view: A new toggle lets users switch between overnight and daytime vitals, potentially catching shifts in metrics before they show up in overnight readings.


• VO2 Max test: A new test has users set up their iPhone to watch them perform a series of exercises, delivering results immediately alongside data from their Apple Watch.


• Most accurate step tracking: A redesigned pedometer model with new machine learning algorithms improves distance accuracy for indoor workouts and all-day step counts.


• Steps complication: A brand-new watch face complication, enabled by the S11 chip, lets users track their step count in real time.


• Longer workout battery life: Up to 10 hours during an outdoor workout, 25% more than the previous model, with 15 minutes of charging now delivering up to 12 hours of extra battery. The Apple Watch Ultra 4 goes further, with up to 50 hours of everyday battery life, 84 hours in Low Power Mode, and a new Max Extended Workout mode rated for up to 45 hours of outdoor tracking; 15 minutes of charging adds up to 18 hours of battery.

The Apple Watch Series 12 starts at $399 and the Apple Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799, with pre-orders for both open today and availability beginning Friday, September 18.
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Apple no longer charges extra for Active Noise Cancellation on AirPods, folding it into the $129 AirPods 5 instead of reserving it for the higher-end model.


Apple today announced the AirPods 5. ANC now comes standard on the base model rather than being exclusive to its pricier variant, as it was with the outgoing AirPods 4, which cost $129 without ANC and $179 with it.

There is still a pricier version of the AirPods 5, called "AirPods 5 with Wireless Charging Case." This model starts at $149 and includes a force sensor with swiping volume controls, an hour of additional battery life with ANC enabled, and wireless charging. The ‌AirPods 4‌ with ANC were priced at $179.

AirPods 5 are available for pre-order starting today, with both the $129 and $149 models arriving in stores on Friday, September 18.
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Apple today announced AppleCare One Family, a new option for U.S. customers that extends ‌AppleCare‌ coverage to every eligible device across an Apple Family Sharing group of up to six people for one fixed monthly price.


‌AppleCare‌ One Family costs $49.99 per month and includes all of the same benefits as ‌AppleCare‌+, such as coverage for accidental damage like drops and spills, battery replacement service, and priority support from Apple Experts. It also includes theft and loss protection for eligible iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models, and allows six total claims per year across the group.

Once a subscriber signs up, they can add devices from their iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or Mac, including "most devices less than four years old and in good working condition." Newly purchased devices are added automatically at no extra cost, and the price stays the same regardless of how many eligible products end up being covered.

To use the new plan, customers must set up Family Sharing in the Settings app on their iPhone, ‌iPad‌, or Mac and invite up to five other people to join. Any eligible devices those family members already own can then be covered under the same subscription, eliminating the need to buy and manage a separate ‌AppleCare‌ plan for each person.

‌AppleCare‌ One Family builds on AppleCare One, the multi-device subscription Apple introduced in the U.S. in July 2025 at $19.99 per month for up to three products. That plan has since expanded to Australia, France, Germany, and the UK, and today's announcement gives U.S. customers with larger households a way to consolidate coverage under a single subscription rather than juggling individual plans.

‌AppleCare‌ One Family will be available in the United States starting September 14. More details are available on Apple's AppleCare webpage.
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Apple today announced a redesigned thermal system for iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, built around a next-generation vapor chamber with three times the surface area of the one in iPhone 17 Pro.


The new vapor chamber constantly cycles deionized water throughout the system for significantly improved cooling performance, allowing the A20 Pro chip to sustain higher performance for longer under heavy workloads.

Apple redesigned the silicon packaging with "custom packaging inspired by our M-series chips," placing the silicon die and memory side by side rather than stacked, which removes the memory from the chip's thermal path and lets the A20 Pro connect directly to the vapor chamber.

According to Apple, the combination of the new packaging, new thermal materials, and the larger vapor chamber delivers up to a 40% gain in sustained performance over the previous generation, which the company calls the highest sustained performance yet in an iPhone.
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Apple today announced Apple Reference Image, a new opt-in feature for the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max that helps users to prove a photo hasn't been altered since it was taken.



Apple Reference Image is powered by a new sensor in the Main camera that signs sensor data at the pixel level at the moment of capture. When a photo is taken in the new Reference mode, that signed data is sent to Private Cloud Compute, which develops it into what Apple calls an unalterable reference image, "like having a digital negative."

Reference images appear in the Photos app alongside the corresponding photo, letting users visually compare the two to check whether any edits were made. Apple is also opening APIs in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 27 so third-party apps can display these reference images.

Apple positioned the feature as one part of a broader push on image authenticity, alongside existing image metadata and upcoming support for the SynthID standard, which will help identify images that were generated or edited with AI. Apple said SynthID support will arrive in a software update later this year and will be included with most edited images, depending on which edits were applied.

Apple Reference Image will not be available at launch in China due to regulatory requirements. In the EU, Apple Reference Image capture also won't be available at launch on the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models, but users running iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 will still be able to develop and view reference images.
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Apple today announced new texture and grain controls for Photographic Styles with the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max.


Photographic Styles are tone presets that adjust the color and warmth of a photo as it is captured, rather than as a filter applied afterward, while preserving skin tones.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max gain a redesigned computational imaging pipeline for the 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera that Apple says produces sharper, more detailed shots. The new texture and grain controls build on that pipeline, allowing users to further dial in their desired appearance for more creative control over their photos.

It is not clear if older iPhone models such as the iPhone 17 Pro, which otherwise support the latest version of Photographic Styles, will receive the feature via a software update.
This article, "New Texture and Grain Controls Coming to Photographic Styles With iPhone 18 Pro" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today published a new YouTube playlist aimed at helping developers prepare their apps for the iPhone Duo, its first foldable iPhone.



The "Get ready for iPhone Duo" playlist, published on the Apple Developer YouTube channel, is described by Apple as a guide to help developers "prepare your apps for launch on iPhone Duo." It contains six videos: "Design for iPhone Duo," "Prepare your app for iPhone Duo," "Raise the bar with iPhone Duo," "Strike a pose with adaptive layouts on iPhone Duo," "Leverage multiple displays and scenes on iPhone Duo," and "Build a great camera experience for iPhone Duo."

The iPhone Duo features a number of special software features. Essential controls have moved to the sides of the display to sit within thumb's reach, the Home Screen dock is now oriented vertically, and the status bar has been redesigned to fit into the corner of the display. Software transitions between the outer and inner displays as the device opens, with controls staying in a consistent position while content scales up.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for 256GB, with storage options going up to 2TB. Preorders begin October 16, with availability starting October 23.
This article, "Apple Publishes Developer Video Series for iPhone Duo" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced Pro Controls, a new customizable camera interface for the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max that lets users manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, or check exposure levels with a live histogram.


Pro Controls is built around the variable aperture on the new Main camera. Six laser-cut blades move smoothly between four aperture settings, and the Camera app can adjust aperture automatically based on depth of field and lighting, or users can take manual control themselves for what Apple calls "truly unique shots that weren't possible before" on an iPhone.

Pro Controls works across both photo and video capture. It also introduces Smart Focus Tracking, which uses on-device AI models to lock onto a subject and maintain focus even if that subject briefly leaves the frame and comes back into view.

The new interface arrives alongside broader camera upgrades on the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, including a redesigned computational imaging pipeline, updated Photographic Styles with new texture and grain controls, and the ability to apply Cinematic effects after capture to video shot at up to 60 fps. Variable aperture is also exposed to developers through a new API, giving third-party apps access to the same range of aperture settings.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ starts at $1,199 and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max starts at $1,299. Pre-orders open on Saturday, September 12, ahead of availability on Friday, September 18.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro Gains Manual Aperture, Shutter Speed Controls, and More" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today introduced two dedicated accessories for iPhone Duo, its Case and a Folio with Kickstand.



The iPhone Duo Case is a thin, two-part design that wraps around both the front and back of the device. It uses built-in magnets that align with th iPhone Duo for what Apple calls a "magical attach experience." The case is made from polycarbonate with a matte coating and comes in Sand and Navy Blue.

The iPhone Duo Folio with Kickstand takes a different approach, using TechWoven, Apple's custom technical fabric, and covering only the back of the device rather than wrapping the edges. It includes an integrated kickstand that snaps flush against the case when not in use and props up at a range of angles for reading, watching video, or FaceTime calls. It uses the same magnetic alignment, and Apple says it is able to charge via MagSafe behind the kickstand, even when it's propped open. The Folio with Kickstand is available in Taupe and Navy Blue.



Apple says both cases go through thousands of hours of testing during design and manufacturing, consistent with the rest of its case lineup. The iPhone Duo Case and Folio with Kickstand are currently unavailable, but will presumably become available for pre-order soon.
This article, "iPhone Duo Gets Its Own Case and Folio With Kickstand" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced a new lineup of accessories for the iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and AirPods Pro 3, including a redesigned clear case with MagSafe and all-new wrist straps.



The new colors span much of Apple's accessory range:

• TechWoven Case with MagSafe: Burgundy, Olive, Taupe, Chambray Blue, Mulberry, and Black


• Silicone Case with MagSafe: Magenta, Black, Navy Blue, Crisp Blue, Olive, and Burgundy


• Wrist Strap: Burgundy, Crisp Blue, Olive, Taupe, Magenta, and Black


• Crossbody Strap: Burgundy, Crisp Blue, Olive, Taupe, Navy Blue, Light Gray, Sand, Magenta, and Black


• FineWoven Wallet with MagSafe: Dark Olive, Burgundy, Wildflower Blue, Magenta, Navy, and Black

The Wrist Strap is new, and Apple highlighted its compatibility with the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌ alongside the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max.



Apple has also updated its clear case with MagSafe, giving it a new circular ‌MagSafe‌ alignment ring in place of the square outline introduced with last year's model.



The new cases, straps, and wallet are available to order now.






This article, "Apple Debuts New Accessories for iPhone 18 Pro and AirPods Pro 3" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced the "iPhone Duo," a new kind of iPhone featuring two screens and a foldable inner display.


The two halves of the iPhone Duo connect into a single continuous frame with the same aspect ratio across both displays, and Apple said the transition between open and closed is designed to feel fluid. When fully open, Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone ever made, with an architecture that packages its components into the camera plateau.

The frame is machined and polished titanium, with Ceramic Shield on the back and Ceramic Shield 2 on the front, and the device carries an IP68 rating. iPhone Duo comes in two colors: Star White and Night Sky. Touch ID is built into the side button, and the device can also be unlocked using an Apple Watch.



A custom hinge, made from more than 100 tiny precision components, holds the display flat when open and controls the folding motion. Apple said the structure uses a multi layer lamination design with viscoelastic adhesives that let the display's layers glide against each other during folding "like pages in a book," preventing distortion over time. A titanium plate forms the bottom layer for added durability, with carbon fiber support plates creating a stiff, lightweight base for the display to rest on.



The inner display measures 7.6 inches, which Apple said is 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro Max and 80% larger than the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, while the outer display is 5.4 inches and offers 90% of the screen area of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. Apple Pencil support is coming to both displays later this year.



For the display surface itself, Apple said it created a custom nano texture finish that cuts down on glare and reflections. The company also described a separate micro lens texture, produced using maskless laser lithography that writes each lens pixel by pixel, which it said creates a "perceptually flat matte surface" that minimizes the visibility of the fold crease while still feeling premium to the touch.



The iPhone Duo also features a number of special software features. Essential controls have moved to the sides of the display to sit within thumb's reach, the Home Screen dock is now oriented vertically, and the status bar has been redesigned to fit into the corner of the display. Software transitions gracefully between the outer and inner displays as the device opens, with controls staying in a consistent position while content scales up.



iOS also adapts to how the device is angled or propped, and it can be used partially folded, with content sliding away from the crease where taps are harder to register. Custom audio tuning adjusts for the changing distance between the speakers depending on how the device is positioned. Users can run two apps at once or open the same app twice, and can swipe up from the bottom to switch apps or pair two apps together to reopen later. A new Standby mode adds widgets for music, calendar, or weather, and Apple said the device can double as a bedside clock with a soft glow.



The iPhone Duo uses the same 48MP Fusion main camera design Apple has used elsewhere in its lineup alongside a 48MP Fusion ultra wide camera, the same ultra wide used in the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, and supports Apple's upgraded Photographic Styles. Since the device can stand on its own, Apple said it opens up new options for capturing time lapses in 4K Dolby Vision HDR.



The outer display houses a 12MP Center Stage front camera, which Apple said improves selfies by letting people preview the shot before taking it. The inner display has its own FaceTime camera hidden behind the screen, which works whether the device is fully open or propped on a surface, and the two cameras can dual capture front and rear scenes simultaneously.

A new Duo ‌FaceTime‌ feature lets someone else join a video call from the outer display. A Smart Take feature tracks a scene and automatically takes the photo once everyone in a group shot is ready, removing the need to set a timer, and the outer display can play animations to help hold a child's attention for the camera.



The iPhone Duo contains Apple's A20 Pro chip, just like the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. It also features the new C2 modem, which Apple said is up to 50% faster than the C1X, adds 5G mmWave support in the U.S., and uses up to 15% less battery. Apple also said AI algorithms improve everyday cellular reliability, including reconnecting faster in areas with weak coverage, and that the device delivers up to 35% higher sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. The iPhone Duo is eSIM only worldwide.



Each half of the device has its own battery, which Apple said operate together as a single battery for all day use, rated at up to 31 hours of video playback on the inner display and 44 hours on the outer display. Using both screens equally, Apple rates the device for up to 24 hours of battery life, with fast charging reaching 50% in around 20 minutes and just five minutes of charging providing up to five hours of video playback on the outer display.

New accessories include a Duo Folio case with a built in kickstand, along with an iPhone Duo case made of two separate parts that wrap around each half of the device.



The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999 for 256GB, with storage options going up to 2TB. Preorders begin October 16, with availability starting October 23.
This article, "Apple Announces Foldable 'iPhone Duo'" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced it is extending free access to satellite features for an additional year for existing iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 users.



The extension applies to devices activated in a country that supports Apple's satellite features prior to midnight Pacific Time on September 9. Apple revealed the update in its press release for the new iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max.

This marks at least the third time Apple has extended free access to the features for iPhone 14 users, whose satellite trial was originally set to run for two years from the phone's launch in November 2022 before Apple pushed the expiration date back in 2025 and again this year. Free access for iPhone 15 users, whose trial was set to expire this year, has similarly been extended, and ‌iPhone 16‌ owners are now covered by the same rolling extension for the first time.

Apple's satellite features include Emergency SOS via satellite, Messages via satellite, Find My via satellite, and Roadside Assistance via satellite, with availability varying by country. The features rely on Apple's satellite partner Globalstar and let users reach emergency services, share their location, or send messages when they have no cellular or Wi-Fi signal.

Apple has not confirmed what, if anything, it plans to charge for the features once free access eventually ends. For now, the practical effect is that iPhone 14, iPhone 15, and ‌iPhone 16‌ owners who activated their devices before today's cutoff can keep using the features at no cost for at least another year.
This article, "Apple Extends Free Satellite Access for iPhone 14, 15, and 16 Users" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max feature a smaller Dynamic Island, with support for up to three simultaneous Live Activities.



Until now, the ‌Dynamic Island‌ has only supported a maximum of two simultaneous Live Activities. Here is how three Live Activities display at the same time:



Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said ahead of the event that the redesigned ‌Dynamic Island‌ would be "smaller and improved" and let users toggle between three live tasks.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro Features Smaller Dynamic Island With Support for Three Live Activities" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today announced the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, with pricing starting at $1,199 for the Pro model and $1,299 for the Pro Max, both with 256GB of storage as the base configuration.


The increase amounts to $100 over the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max pricing, matching what Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had predicted ahead of today's event. That is a smaller jump than many analysts had floated over the summer.

Both models now offer a 2TB storage option for the first time, sitting above the previous 1TB ceiling for an added cost.

Apple is also offering the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max through its Apple Upgrade program, which starts at $34.99 a month over 24 months and can come in lower for customers who trade-in an eligible device. Separately, customers trading in an iPhone 14 or newer toward a new purchase can get up to $1,200 off.

The pricing arrives after months of speculation that Apple would raise iPhone prices more steeply this year, following a broader run of cost increases across its Mac, iPad, and home product lines earlier in 2026 tied to the global memory shortage.
This article, "iPhone 18 Pro Starts at $1,199, Pro Max at $1,299" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple today revealed the A20 Pro chip in the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, built on a brand new architecture using 2nm process technology.


Apple described the A20 Pro as "an exceptional chip that sets a new bar for mobile computing." The chip has a 6-core CPU design with two new super cores that Apple says are up to 20% faster, calling them "desktop class" and "the fastest in any smartphone," alongside four new efficiency cores.

The GPU has also been redesigned with a 7-core layout that Apple says delivers up to 40% faster graphics performance and increased memory bandwidth. New neural accelerators built into the GPU offer twice the FP8 performance of the previous generation, which helps the chip run large language models locally on the device.

The A20 Pro features an additional Neural Engine, bringing the total core count to 32. The company says the redesigned Neural Engine delivers 2x the compute of its predecessor, is more efficient, and now supports 8-bit floating point math. Apple called the A20 Pro "the ultimate chip for running advanced on-device models," adding that it ships with "the widest memory interface we've ever shipped in an iPhone."

The company said effective thermal management in the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is critical to unlocking the chip's maximum performance, since efficient heat dissipation determines how much of that performance can be sustained. To support this, Apple redesigned the chip's silicon packaging, describing it as "custom packaging inspired by our M-series chips" that connects the silicon and memory directly to the vapor chamber for improved thermal performance.

Apple compared sustained performance directly against previous generations, citing 40% more sustained performance from the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s A20 Pro compared to the A19 Pro in the iPhone 17 Pro, and twice the sustained performance compared to the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro.
This article, "Apple Unveils A20 Pro as First 2nm Smartphone Chip" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple announced new Mac mini and Mac Studio models last month, with both available to pre-order now. It is the first time in years that Apple has revised its two desktop Macs simultaneously, so which should you choose?


There are now two desktop Macs to choose from following the discontinuation of the Mac Pro, but the prices have moved sharply. The ‌Mac Studio‌ starts at $2,499 and rises to $5,499 for the M5 Ultra model, while the ‌Mac mini‌ starts at $899 with the M6 chip and $1,699 with the M5 Pro.

Those prices come on top of the across-the-board Mac and iPad increases Apple made in June, which took the ‌Mac mini‌ from $599 to $799, the M4 Pro configuration from $1,399 to $1,599, and the ‌Mac Studio‌ from $1,999 to $2,499. The M5 Ultra adds a further $200 to the post-June M3 Ultra price, putting it $1,500 above what the M3 Ultra cost at launch.

Our guide helps to answer the question of how to decide which of these two desktop Macs is best for you. The two machines now share a large number of key features, including:

• A boxy silver aluminum enclosure with no color options


• Apple's N1 chip, bringing Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 to both machines for the first time


• Neural Accelerators built into every GPU core


• Hardware-accelerated ray tracing


• A Media Engine with hardware-accelerated H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW, plus AV1 decode


• A next-generation SSD architecture that Apple says is up to twice as fast as before


• Genlock support over USB-C for synchronizing a display with a camera, including the iPhone 17 Pro


• An HDMI port with multichannel audio output


• A 3.5mm headphone jack with support for high-impedance headphones

Beyond that, the two lines diverge on chip generation, memory capacity, ports, and external display support.

‌Mac mini‌ (M6)	‌Mac mini‌ (M5 Pro)	‌Mac Studio‌ (M5 Max)	‌Mac Studio‌ (M5 Ultra)
M6 chip	M5 Pro chip	M5 Max chip	M5 Ultra chip (two dual-die M5 Max chips joined by UltraFusion)
Made with TSMC's 2nm process	Made with TSMC's 3nm process	Made with TSMC's ‌3nm‌ process	Made with TSMC's ‌3nm‌ process
12-core CPU (2 super cores + 4 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores)	15- or 18-core CPU (up to 6 super cores + 12 performance cores)	18-core CPU (6 super cores + 12 performance cores)	30- or 36-core CPU (up to 12 super cores + 24 performance cores)
12-core GPU	16- or 20-core GPU	32- or 40-core GPU	64- or 80-core GPU
Dual 16-core Neural Engine	16-core Neural Engine	16-core Neural Engine	32-core Neural Engine
Up to 170GB/s memory bandwidth	307GB/s memory bandwidth	Up to 614GB/s memory bandwidth	1.2TB/s memory bandwidth
16GB, 24GB, or 32GB unified memory	24GB, 48GB, or 64GB unified memory	32-core GPU: 36GB unified memory 40-core GPU: 48GB, 64GB, or 128GB unified memory	64-core GPU: 96GB or 256GB unified memory 80-core GPU: 96GB, 256GB, or 512GB unified memory
256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage	512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB storage	512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB storage	1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB, or 16TB storage
Video decode engine	Video decode engine	Video decode engine	Two video decode engines
Video encode engine	Video encode engine	Two video encode engines	Four video encode engines
ProRes encode and decode engine	ProRes encode and decode engine	Two ProRes encode and decode engines	Four ProRes encode and decode engines
Support for up to three displays: two at 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz, plus a third at 5K 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K 60Hz over HDMI	Support for up to three displays, all at 6K 60Hz or 4K 165Hz	Support for up to five 4K displays, four 6K displays, or two 8K displays	Support for up to eight 4K displays, eight 6K displays, or four 8K displays
Two displays per Thunderbolt port	All three displays through a single Thunderbolt port
Three rear Thunderbolt 4 ports	Three rear Thunderbolt 5 ports	Four rear Thunderbolt 5 ports	Four rear Thunderbolt 5 ports
Two front USB-C ports	Two front USB-C ports	Two front USB-C ports	Two front Thunderbolt 5 ports
		Two rear USB-A ports	Two rear USB-A ports
2.5Gb Ethernet or 10Gb Ethernet port	2.5Gb Ethernet or 10Gb Ethernet port	10Gb Ethernet port	10Gb Ethernet port
		SDXC card slot (UHS-II)	SDXC card slot (UHS-II)
Bottom power button	Bottom power button	Rear power button	Rear power button
Starts at $899	Starts at $1,699	Starts at $2,499	Starts at $5,499

Both enclosures carry over unchanged, so the dimensions of the two devices remain radically different, with the ‌Mac Studio‌ dwarfing the ‌Mac mini‌ in every way.

	‌Mac mini‌	‌Mac Studio‌
Height	2.0 inches (5.0 cm)	3.7 inches (9.5 cm)
Width	5.0 inches (12.7 cm)	7.7 inches (19.7 cm)
Depth	5.0 inches (12.7 cm)	7.7 inches (19.7 cm)
Weight	M6: 1.5 pounds (0.67 kg) M5 Pro: 1.6 pounds (0.73 kg)	M5 Max: 6.0 pounds (2.7 kg) M5 Ultra: 8.0 pounds (3.6 kg)

Most customers should choose the M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ over the M5 Max ‌Mac Studio‌, saving $800 on the base models. The gap widens across custom configurations, since the ‌Mac Studio‌'s memory and storage tiers start higher and climb further.

There is an unusual situation at the bottom of the lineup this year. The $899 ‌Mac mini‌ is the only machine of the four with a latest-generation chip, and the M6 is Apple's first 2nm chip. Its Dual 16-core Neural Engine, which Apple says system frameworks can drive simultaneously, is also more Neural Engine hardware than either the M5 Pro or the M5 Max provides. If your workload leans on on-device machine learning rather than sustained CPU or GPU throughput, the cheapest Mac in this comparison is not obviously the weakest one for the task. The trade-offs are Thunderbolt 4 rather than Thunderbolt 5, a 32GB memory and 2TB storage ceiling, and a single video encode engine.

You should only consider the ‌Mac Studio‌ if you have a professional workflow that can genuinely leverage the M5 Max or the M5 Ultra, along with the additional ports, display outputs, and memory capacity. If you need the ‌Mac Studio‌, you will likely already know that you are looking for a highly powerful machine capable of supporting a specific intense workload. The M5 Ultra is Apple's first quad-die M-series chip, and its four ProRes engines, four video encode engines, and 1.2TB/s of memory bandwidth are aimed squarely at multi-stream video work and large local AI models. The 512GB memory ceiling has no equivalent anywhere else in the Mac lineup, and it is what allows models with hundreds of billions of parameters to run entirely on device.

The ‌Mac Studio‌ still has a superior selection of ports, with four rear Thunderbolt 5 ports on the M5 Max and six in total on the M5 Ultra, plus an SDXC card slot, USB-A, and 10Gb Ethernet as standard. This makes a practical difference for anyone working off fast external storage or camera media. The ‌Mac mini‌ has closed part of the distance by moving to 2.5Gb Ethernet as standard, up from Gigabit.

Clustering over Thunderbolt 5 and RDMA is not a point of difference between the two machines, since it arrived in macOS 26.2 last December and works on any Mac with Thunderbolt 5, including the M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ and the previous-generation ‌Mac Studio‌. The exception is the M6 ‌Mac mini‌, which has Thunderbolt 4 and cannot take part.

Both ‌Mac mini‌ models still cap out at three external displays, but they now reach 165Hz at 4K, up from 144Hz on the M4 generation, and the M5 Pro model drives all three through a single Thunderbolt port. For a three-display desk setup at high refresh rates, the M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ is sufficient. It is only above three displays, or at 6K and 8K, that the ‌Mac Studio‌ becomes necessary.

A notable exception arises at the top of the ‌Mac mini‌ lineup. An M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ configured with additional memory and storage moves close enough to the $2,499 ‌Mac Studio‌ that the comparison changes somewhat. For an increment of a few hundred dollars, the ‌Mac Studio‌ substitutes a chip with roughly twice the memory bandwidth, a second video encode engine, far greater display support, and headroom to 128GB of unified memory. If you are already spending heavily on a ‌Mac mini‌, price the ‌Mac Studio‌ before committing.

If you plan to keep the machine for many years, the ‌Mac Studio‌'s ceiling matters more than its starting price, because it is the only one of the two that can be configured beyond 64GB of unified memory. Buyers weighing the M6 ‌Mac mini‌ against the M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ should note that the newer chip generation and the newer process node both sit in the cheaper machine, and that the M5 Pro's advantages are concentrated in multi-core and graphics performance rather than in longevity.

To some extent, purchasing decisions should be driven by budget, but any savings on the computer itself can be put toward a good external display such as Apple's Studio Display, which starts from $1,599 and was one of the few products spared June's price rises. An M6 ‌Mac mini‌ paired with a ‌Studio Display‌ comes to $2,498, a dollar less than a bare M5 Max ‌Mac Studio‌ with nothing to plug into. An M5 Pro ‌Mac mini‌ and a ‌Studio Display‌ together come to $3,298, which is $799 more than the base ‌Mac Studio‌ and $2,201 less than the M5 Ultra ‌Mac Studio‌ with no display at all.

Both machines are available to pre-order now and arrive on Tuesday, September 22, with education pricing of $799 and $1,599 on the two ‌Mac mini‌ models and $2,299 and $5,099 on the two ‌Mac Studio‌ models. ‌Mac Studio‌ configurations with 512GB of unified memory are not due until late October.
This article, "Mac Mini vs. Mac Studio Buyer's Guide: 20 Differences Compared" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Leaker "pdfu" today shared additional code-level details about the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4's new day summary feature, offering a clearer picture of what the AI tool will actually track.


In a new post on X, pdfu said that the summaries generated by the feature, referred to in code as "Ambient Sensing," include fields for time and date, location, meal information, and the people present along with their relationship to the user.

The leaker also listed dozens of activity categories the underlying code supports, covering everything from meal prep and household chores to workouts, commuting, shopping, and screen time, alongside a catch-all "Unknown" category. The full list of activity categories is as follows:

• Eating Meal


• Snacking


• Preparing Meal


• Making Drinks


• Baking


• Plating


• Vacuuming


• Taking Out Trash


• Washing Dishes


• Loading Laundry


• Folding Laundry


• Mowing Lawn


• Watering Plants


• Gardening


• Mopping


• Dusting


• Cleaning


• Walking


• Running


• Cycling


• Strength Training


• Yoga


• Elliptical


• HIIT


• Cardio


• Hiking


• Regular Commute


• Driving


• Flying


• Riding Train


• Riding Bus


• Grocery Shopping


• Clothes Shopping


• Home Goods Shopping


• Hardware Shopping


• Taking Break


• Waiting


• Relaxing


• Social Dining


• Meeting


• Partying


• Gathering


• Family Time


• Brushing Teeth


• Flossing


• Getting Dressed


• Applying Lotions


• Watching TV


• Using Tablet


• Using Laptop


• Using Desktop


• Reading E-Reader


• Using ATM


• Attending Class


• Attending Sermon


• Attending Keynote


• Reading Book


• Doing Homework


• Taking Notes


• Working


• Drinking


• Unknown

The post builds on a report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who said the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 would ship with a feature that analyzes a user's day, including conversations they've had, and provides a summary of what took place. Gurman noted the system apparently does not record or store audio and cannot produce a transcript to preserve privacy, and it is unclear how exactly it works.

The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are expected to be announced later today alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, and the first foldable iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone Duo."
This article, "Apple Watch's New AI Day Summary Tracks These Activities" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A leaker has activated Apple's upcoming three-item Dynamic Island mode inside the iOS 27 simulator, offering the first video demonstration of the new iPhone 18 Pro feature.


The leaker, known as pdfu, posted a video showing the ‌Dynamic Island‌ toggling between three simultaneous Live Activities, matching what Bloomberg's Mark Gurman described in his report earlier today. "The new ‌Dynamic Island‌ with 3 items is already supported in ‌iOS 27‌," pdfu wrote.



According to pdfu, the underlying code requires a sensor region less than 100 layout points wide to enable the new mode, or below 16.57mm. Layout points are Apple's device-independent unit for describing on-screen dimensions, and they scale differently depending on a display's resolution. By comparison, pdfu notes that the sensor region on the current iPhone 17 Pro measures 20.76mm, meaning Apple would need to shrink the hardware by roughly 20% to unlock the new software behavior.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have been rumored to feature a smaller ‌Dynamic Island‌ for months, but reports about support for a third, additional ‌Dynamic Island‌ Live Activity is new. Since the iPhone 14 Pro launched in 2022, the ‌Dynamic Island‌ has only supported two Live Activities, so adding a third seems like a worthwhile way to demonstrate the utility of shrinking the region.
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Code found in iOS 27 suggests the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max could support a 33% higher charging rate than the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a new discovery from the leaker known as "pdfu."


The findings apparently come from Apple's charging optimizer settings buried in ‌iOS 27‌, which show the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max charging at a rate 33% higher than the iPhone 17 lineup. If Apple can maintain that higher rate throughout a charge, pdfu estimates it could cut around 25% off the time it takes to complete a typical fast-charging session.

Apple's first foldable iPhone does not appear to get the same treatment. The same code purportedly shows it charging at the same rate as the ‌iPhone 17‌ and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, rather than the faster rate expected for the new Pro models.

The research also points to further charging improvements arriving with future models. The standard iPhone 18 is said to match the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ faster charging, while the iPhone 18e is said to see an even bigger jump of around 69% over the current iPhone 17e. The iPhone Air 2 is said to charge about 27% faster than today's ‌iPhone Air‌.

Actual charging speeds depend on a multitude of real-world factors, such as the phone's temperature and how full the battery already is, so the improvement buyers notice day-to-day could end up being smaller than the numbers suggest.

Apple is expected to unveil the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, along with its first foldable iPhone, at its "Surprise and shine" event today, while the iPhone 18e, ‌iPhone 18‌, and ‌iPhone Air‌ 2 are rumored to follow in the spring of 2027.
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Apple will today expand its trade-in program to offer better pricing for devices with minor cosmetic defects, MacRumors understands.


Under Apple's current trade-in system, cosmetic issues such as small chips in the display glass have generally been treated the same way as far more serious damage, such as a cracked or smashed screen, resulting in a similarly steep cut to a device's trade-in value. That is set to change from today, with Apple introducing more granular pricing that better reflects a device's actual condition. Customers will apparently not receive less for their device under the new system.

The update is expected to take effect today once Apple's trade-in website comes back online. The change is said to apply in the vast majority of countries where Apple's trade-in program is offered, with only a small number of markets excluded.

Apple last adjusted its trade-in values in August, when it raised pricing across the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch lineups. It is unclear whether today's change will coincide with a broader refresh of those values.
This article, "Apple to Offer Better Trade-In Pricing for Minor Cosmetic Damage" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple planned to introduce high-end in-ear AirPods with built-in cameras for analyzing the surrounding environment at today's event, but the launch has been pushed to next year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.

In early August, Gurman said the earbuds were progressing well enough to potentially ship before the end of the year. By mid-August, though, he reported that Apple had pulled the model from its 2026 road map, pushing the camera AirPods to a 2027 launch alongside the 20th-anniversary iPhone instead. Today's event will still include new AirPods 5 models.
This article, "AirPods With Cameras Were Supposed to Debut Today, Now Delayed" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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