The iOS 27.2 beta that Apple released today adds a feature that reminds you it's your anniversary when you call someone, as long as you've added the date in the Contacts app.


On the date of your anniversary, when you go to call the person, you'll see a reminder that it's an important day so you don't forget to say something. The anniversary alert uses Call Context, a feature Apple added in iOS 27.

Call Context brings up information from emails and other sources when you place a phone call. If you place a call to an airline and you have an email with a flight confirmation number for that airline in the Mail app, it surfaces that confirmation number so you don't have to go digging for it.

In ‌iOS 27‌, Call Context works with birthdays, and it shows a fireworks animation when you're placing a call. iOS 27.2 adds anniversaries, but unfortunately, it doesn't come with a new animation.

The Call Context anniversary option draws from your Contacts app. To add an anniversary to a contact, open the Contacts app and select their name. Tap "Edit" in the corner, then tap "add date," and the first suggestion under date is anniversary.

You can also ask Siri AI to add the anniversary date to the person's contact card if you have a device that supports Apple Intelligence.

iOS 27.2 is in beta right now, and it is expected to launch in October.
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Apple's new iPhone lineup asks buyers a new and challenging question: Is a foldable display worth feature compromises?


Alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, which start at $1,199 and $1,299 respectively, there is now the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone, which starts at $1,999. All three are brand new, all three feature the same A20 Pro chip, and all three sit at the top end of Apple's lineup.

The Duo is not a Pro model, though, and Apple's own wording makes that clear. For example, its rear camera array is branded the 48-megapixel Dual Fusion system rather than the Pro Fusion system, and the word Pro appears nowhere in its name. The $700 premium over the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max buys a folding 7.6-inch display, not a better camera.

All three models still share a large amount of hardware. The shared features include:

• A20 Pro chip with a 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, dual 16-core Neural Engine, and hardware-accelerated ray tracing


• Apple C2 modem (except on the Pro Max in the United States), N1 wireless networking chip, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread, and the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip


• Super Retina XDR OLED displays with ProMotion up to 120Hz, Always-On display, Dynamic Island, and 3000 nits of peak outdoor brightness


• Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance, Ceramic Shield back, and IP68 water resistance to a depth of 6 meters


• Camera Control, a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera at 13mm and f/2.2, Photographic Styles 3, Dual Capture, smart focus tracking, and 48MP macro photography


• Apple Intelligence and Siri AI in iOS 27


• Emergency SOS, Crash Detection, Roadside Assistance, Messages, and Find My via satellite


• USB-C with USB 3 speeds, MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W, and dual eSIM


• 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options

The comparison below outlines every difference between the Pro models and the Duo:

Display

‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9-inch display	7.6-inch inner folding display and 5.4-inch outer display
iPhone 18 Pro: 2622-by-1206 resolution at 460 ppi iPhone 18 Pro Max: 2868-by-1320 resolution at 460 ppi	Outer display: 1398-by-2034 at 460 ppi Inner display: 1878-by-2670 at 430 ppi
	Nano-texture finish and wide-angle OLEDs on the inner display
	Supports Apple Pencil with USB-C

Design and Build

‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
Aluminum unibody	Polished titanium frame with a 3D-printed hinge cover
Action button
Face ID enabled by TrueDepth technology	Touch ID in the side button
Dual ambient light sensors	Four ambient light sensors
Compatible with ‌MagSafe‌ cases, wallets, and wireless chargers	Compatible with ‌MagSafe‌ cases and wireless chargers
Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy options	Night Sky and Star White options
Made with 40% recycled content, including 85% recycled aluminum in the enclosure, 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, 80% recycled steel in the battery enclosure and vapor chamber chassis, and 100% recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine	Made with 35% recycled content, including 100% recycled aluminum in the internal structural frame, 85% recycled titanium in the enclosure, and 100% recycled titanium in the 3D-printed hinge cover
50% of manufacturing electricity sourced from renewable electricity	60% of manufacturing electricity sourced from renewable electricity

Dimensions and Weight

	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
Height	5.91 inches (150.0 mm)	6.43 inches (163.4 mm)	4.64 inches (117.8 mm) closed 4.64 inches (117.8 mm) open
Width	2.83 inches (71.9 mm)	3.07 inches (78.0 mm)	3.31 inches (84.1 mm) closed 6.48 inches (164.6 mm) open
Depth	0.34 inch (8.75 mm)	0.34 inch (8.75 mm)	0.44 inch (11.3 mm) closed 0.21 inch (5.2 mm) open
Weight	7.44 ounces (211 grams)	8.78 ounces (249 grams)	8.96 ounces (254 grams)

Rear Cameras

‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
48MP Pro Fusion camera system	48MP Dual Fusion camera system
48MP Fusion Main camera: 24mm, second-generation sensor-shift OIS, 100% Focus Pixels	48MP Fusion Main camera: 26mm, sensor-shift OIS, Hybrid Focus Pixels
Variable aperture on Main camera: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0	Fixed f/1.6 aperture on Main camera
12MP optical-quality 2x "telephoto" sensor crop at 48mm from the Main camera	12MP optical-quality 2x "telephoto" sensor crop at 52mm from the Main camera
48MP Fusion Telephoto camera: 100mm (4x), f/2.8, tetraprism, 3D sensor-shift OIS and autofocus
12MP optical-quality 8x Telephoto sensor crop at 200mm, f/2.8, from the Fusion Telephoto camera
LiDAR scanner
0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x optical zoom options	0.5x, 1x, and 2x optical zoom options
8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, for a 16x optical-quality zoom range	2x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, for a 4x optical-quality zoom range
Digital zoom up to 40x for photos and up to 24x for video	Digital zoom up to 10x for photos and up to 6x for video
Adaptive True Tone flash	True Tone flash
Four studio-quality mics
	Smart Take and Duo Preview

Pro Capture Features and Formats

‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
Pro controls for lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and viewing histogram
ProRAW
Apple Reference Image (Fusion Main camera only)
Spatial photos
Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps
ProRes video recording up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording
ProRes RAW video recording
Apple Log 2
Academy Color Encoding System (ACES)
Genlock
Image formats captured: HEIF, JPEG, and DNG	Image formats captured: HEIF and JPEG
Video formats recorded: HEVC, H.264, ProRes, and ProRes RAW	Video formats recorded: HEVC and H.264
Video playback formats include HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes	Video playback formats include HEVC, H.264, and AV1

Front Cameras

‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
18MP Center Stage front camera, f/1.9	12MP Center Stage outer camera, f/2.2
Autofocus with Focus Pixels on the front camera
Front camera Pro controls, ProRAW, ProRes, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, and Academy Color Encoding System
	Kid Cue on the front camera
	Under-display FaceTime camera on the inner display, f/1.8, limited to 1080p video at 30 or 60 fps with no Night mode, portraits, or Photographic Styles
	Duo ‌FaceTime‌
Optical zoom with the rear camera in ‌FaceTime‌	Zoom with the rear camera in ‌FaceTime‌

Battery and Charging

‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
Built-in rechargeable battery	Dual built-in rechargeable batteries
iPhone 18 Pro: Up to 24 hours typical use iPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 30 hours typical use	Up to 24 hours typical use
iPhone 18 Pro: Up to 36 hours video playback iPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 45 hours video playback	Up to 44 hours using the outer display, up to 31 hours using the inner display
iPhone 18 Pro: Up to 33 hours streamed video playback iPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 40 hours streamed video playback	Up to 37 hours streamed using the outer display, up to 26 hours using the inner display
50% charge in around 15 minutes	50% charge in around 20 minutes

Price

	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max	‌iPhone Duo‌
256GB	$1,199	$1,299	$1,999
512GB	$1,399	$1,499	$2,199
1TB	$1,799	$1,899	$2,599
2TB	$2,399	$2,499	$3,199

For most buyers, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ or ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max is the better choice. They offer the same A20 Pro chip as the Duo, a more versatile camera system, and a lower price. Choose the Pro if you prefer a smaller, lighter phone, or pay $100 more for the Pro Max if you want a larger screen and longer battery life.

The camera system is the clearest reason to choose an ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ over the ‌iPhone Duo‌. Alongside a more advanced Main camera, the Pro models offer a variable aperture for greater control over depth of field and a dedicated Telephoto camera for subjects you cannot get close to. These advantages matter even if you never use professional capture formats: The Pro gives you more flexibility both when framing a shot and when controlling how it looks. If photography or videography is a priority, choose the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. Buyers who also use ProRAW, ProRes, or manual controls have even more reason to do so.

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ is worth considering if you frequently wish your phone had a larger screen for reading, documents, taking notes, or watching video. Its 7.6-inch folding display and ‌Apple Pencil‌ support are unique in the iPhone lineup and could reduce the need to carry a separate tablet. If you would unfold it several times a day for those sorts of tasks, the benefit may outweigh the camera compromises and higher price. If most of your use involves messaging, social media, and taking photos, there is less reason to pay extra for the ‌iPhone Duo‌.

The compromises also extend beyond the rear cameras. Both of its front-facing cameras are also inferior. The ‌iPhone Duo‌ also replaces ‌Face ID‌ with ‌Touch ID‌ and drops the Action button, so buyers will need to adjust. It also lacks the Pro models' LiDAR Scanner, adaptive True Tone flash, four studio-quality microphones, and spatial photo and video recording.

You also need to be comfortable with the Duo when it is closed. Despite its smaller outer screen, it is wider and thicker than either Pro model and slightly heavier than the Pro Max. Battery life is another reason to favor the Pro Max: The Duo matches the smaller Pro's rated typical-use battery life, and using its inner display reduces its video playback time substantially.

The price gap remains significant at every storage tier. A 1TB ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max is only $100 cheaper than the entry-level ‌iPhone Duo‌, but that Duo has just 256GB of storage. At the same capacity, you pay $700 more than the Pro Max or $800 more than the Pro. That premium needs to be justified by how much you would use the folding screen and how much you care about some of the device's compromises.

Buy the Duo if you have a clear idea of the things you would regularly unfold it to do, or if experiencing Apple's first foldable and a radically new kind of iPhone is itself worth the premium to you. If you are unsure how the larger screen would fit into your routine, the Pro models remain the stronger purchase with their traditional "slab" form factor and host of superior specifications.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are available to pre-order now. ‌iPhone Duo‌ pre-orders open on October 16 ahead of an October 23 release.
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With iOS 27.2 and iPadOS 27.2, Apple extended Apple TV app profiles to the iOS version of the app.


Apple brought ‌Apple TV‌ profiles to tvOS with tvOS 26.2, but the feature has been limited to the ‌Apple TV‌ until now.

‌Apple TV‌ app users can create new profiles in the account settings section, which can also be used to swap between profiles. Profiles only require a name, profile rating, and information about whether the user is a child.

Creating an account for a child limits content to a PG rating by default, but there is a customize option for more granular control. Users can select age ratings for TV shows and movies that are appropriate for the child based on their age

Profiles are a useful feature for a parent that wants to hand over an iPhone or iPad to a child to watch TV or movie content because it restricts what's available without impacting what the parent sees when signed into their own account.
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In the iOS 27.2 beta, Apple Siri AI is available in new languages, including French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish.



In the launch version of iOS 27, ‌Siri‌ AI is limited to English.

Apple previously said that new ‌Siri‌ AI languages would be coming in October, so that likely means iOS 27.2 will see an October launch.


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Apple just seeded the first beta of iOS 27.2 to developers for testing. Yes, you read that correctly: iOS 27.2, not iOS 27.1.


Why no iOS 27.1 beta? The answer likely relates to the iPhone Duo.

Apple previously announced that the iPhone Duo will ship with iOS 27.1, which means that software version will contain all sorts of references to the device hidden within the code. If an iOS 27.1 beta were to have been released today, it could have spoiled some smaller iPhone Duo details that did not make it into Apple's event.

The earlier iOS 27.2 beta versions at a minimum will likely have little to no iPhone Duo references within the code to prevent leaks.

Eventually, the iOS 27.1 and iOS 27.2 codebases will presumably converge, but we will have to wait and see how Apple goes about this exactly.

iPhone Duo launches on Friday, October 23.
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The first beta of iOS 27.2 includes Apple's redesigned Health app, giving developers a chance to try out the features ahead of launch later this year.


Apple's developer notes for the feature say the Health app is being tested in this beta, but it won't be in the launch version of iOS 27.2. It will instead come later in the year.

The Health app will incorporate Apple Intelligence to turn data and metrics collected by the Apple Watch into personalized guidance. Here are the new features we can expect:

• Insights - The Insights tab offers an Apple Intelligence-generated summary of timely information like your latest sleep metrics or a new peak in VO2 max. There are options to get custom advice on readiness, fitness, heart health, and more in the For You section.


• Personal Guidance - Personal guidance is part of the Insights tab. It knows what's important to you, and will make relevant suggestions. Apple says if you're working on your cardio, you might see a suggestion to incorporate intervals into your morning run. Recommendations adapt to each user and their data.


• Readiness - The new Apple Watch models calculate a readiness score that takes into account recent activity, vitals, and sleep score. It gives a 0–10 score with recommendations on activity level. Readouts include Recover, Pace Yourself, Ready, or Go For It. Info is shown on the watch, in the Fitness app, and in the Health app's Insights tab.


• Fitness - Insights incorporates your daily activity and it updates throughout the day.


• Vitals - The Vitals option in the Health app has new overnight views and daytime views. HRV is incorporated as a metric, offering a better look at your ability to recover from stress. It measures overall HRV and recovery HRV.


• Longevity - There is a new Longevity tab in the Health app. It uses metrics from your iPhone and Apple Watch to assess overall health across heart health, sleep, mental wellbeing, movement health, metabolic health, hearing, and nutrition. The section shows you how well you're doing in each category, and how each metric is classified against the latest clinical guidance.


• Health Age - Health Age is part of the Longevity tab. It uses metrics like VO2 max, resting heart rate, HRV, sleep, and biomarkers from blood work to determine how your health metrics compare to your actual age. It will help you figure out what habits make the biggest impact on your health, and how you can improve.

At-home health assessments like a VO2 max test will be coming to the Health app, taking advantage of the iPhone's camera to track your movements as you follow instructions from a trainer. There will be in-depth physical assessments for measuring flexibility, strength, balance, and movement mechanics in addition to VO2 max.

Apple also plans to eventually offer U.S. users the option to buy a bloodwork panel from Quest that covers more than 50 biomarkers. The test is priced at $119, and users will be able to order it right in the Health app.

Not all of the new features are going to be available in the beta. CNET says ordering labs, personalized health info in the Insights tab, and personalized recommendations will not be available until later in the year. Features are going to roll out progressively.

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Apple is testing the next macOS Golden Gate update, and developers can download the ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ 27.2 beta as of today. The beta comes just two days after Apple launched ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ 27.0.


Registered developers can download ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ 27.2 by opening up the System Settings app, clicking on General, selecting Software Update, and opting into ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ betas.

Apple removed two Apple Intelligence features from the launch version of ‌macOS Golden Gate‌, but said they would be coming back in a future software update. It's possible the features will return as soon as the 27.2 release.

Apple delayed Suggestions in Messages, a feature that lets the Messages app offer actions based on the context of conversations. If someone asks for a photo, Messages might suggest inserting it with a tap. If someone invites you to an event, Messages can suggest adding it to the Calendar app.

Apple also pulled the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ feature that automatically updates weak and compromised passwords using Safari.
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Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 27.2 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming just two days after the iOS 27 launch. Apple also seeded an iPadOS 27.2 beta.


Registered developers can download the beta updates by opting in under Settings > General > Software Update and selecting the ‌iOS 27‌ developer beta.

Siri AI will be available in new languages later this year, and support could be added in iOS 27.2. Apple is adding French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish in October.

Two Apple Intelligence features were removed from the launch version of ‌iOS 27‌, and those could also be reintroduced as soon as iOS 27.2. Apple delayed suggestions in Messages conversations and the option to automatically fix compromised and weak passwords using AI.

Apple also plans to debut a new Health app experience, and we could see that in the beta as well.

Apple releasing an iOS 27.2 beta ahead of a iOS 27.1 beta is a surprise, especially because the company plans to ship the iPhone Duo with iOS 27.1. Apple may be holding iOS 27.1 until the Duo comes out, just to keep the features under wraps. iOS 27.1 will add updated app layouts and features built for the iPhone Duo's two displays. The ‌iPhone Duo‌ will have a vertical dock, vertical Dynamic Island, new dual-screen app layouts, side-by-side app multitasking, and exclusive Camera app capabilities.

Since the ‌iPhone Duo‌ will launch on Friday, October 23 and will ship with iOS 27.1, Apple will need to release the iOS 27.1 update before then. If iOS 27.2 includes new ‌Siri‌ AI languages, it too will launch sometime during the month of October.
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Alongside new betas of iOS 27.2, iPadOS 27.2, and macOS Golden Gate 27.2, Apple has released the first betas of watchOS 27.2, tvOS 27.2, and visionOS 27.2. The betas come two days after the 27.0 software updates were released.


Registered developers can download the betas through the Settings app on each device.

Two new Apple Intelligence features are coming to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 in late 2026, and Apple could start testing them as soon as watchOS 27.2. Live Rewind will allow users to double-press the Digital Crown to get a transcription of what was said in the last 15 seconds, while Siri Recap will turn conversations users have had during the day into high-level notes.

There's no word on what's being added in visionOS 27.2 and tvOS 27.2, but Apple is expected to introduce a new version of the Apple TV 4K with ‌Siri‌ AI support sometime before the end of the year.
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Last week, our team discovered code in the iOS 27 Release Candidate that revealed there will be a new NFC-based way to redeem Apple gift cards by tapping them on the back of a compatible iPhone, and now a demo of the feature has surfaced.


While the functionality does not appear to be live yet, Karta co-founder David Anderson figured out a workaround to get the new gift card interface to appear on iOS 27 and shared a video of it in action on his LinkedIn page today.

Apple's new gift cards will have fine print on the bottom of the card that says "hold iPhone here to redeem," and then a redemption flow will automatically pop up on iOS 27. You can then proceed to check the balance of the card and redeem it. Alternatively, the fine print says that customers can still visit apple.com/redeem for manual redemption.

Specifically, customers will be instructed to hold the top, rear side of their iPhone near the bottom of the Apple gift card to initiate NFC-based redemption.

NFC-based redemption will seemingly help to combat Apple gift card scams, but we do not have all of the details yet. During the redemption process, Apple will verify that the card is authentic and unspent, according to iOS 27 code. For security reasons, the interface may show "this card has been blocked" or "cancelled" if necessary.

iOS 27 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, all of which support NFC, so this new Apple gift card redemption method should be widely available. However, the feature has yet to be announced by Apple and we do not know when it will launch.
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The new Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 have hardware changes that allow for faster charging, but you will need to use the new version of the Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger included in the box in order to achieve this boost. If you need extra ones for your own charging stands or travel or so forth, Apple released the new version of the charger on its online store last week, with U.S. pricing set at $29.


We have confirmed that the new version of the Apple Watch charging puck — model A3277 — can deliver up to 10W of power to enable the faster charging speeds. The previous version of the charger is limited to 5W. Accordingly, you will also need to use a USB-C Power Delivery charger that is rated 10W or higher for the fastest charging.

With just 15 minutes of charging, Apple said the new charger can add 12 hours of battery life to the Series 12 and 18 hours of battery life to the Ultra 4.

The previous Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 can get 8 hours and 12 hours of battery life respectively with a 15-minute charge, according to Apple. Using the new charging puck will not speed up these times, as the Series 12 and Ultra 4 have hardware changes, so you need both a new watch and the new charger for the fastest charging.

Model	New Charger	Previous Charger
Apple Watch Series 12	12 hours of battery life in 15 minutes	8 hours of battery life in 15 minutes
Apple Watch Ultra 4	18 hours of battery life in 15 minutes	12 hours of battery life in 15 minutes
Apple Watch Series 11	8 hours of battery life in 15 minutes	8 hours of battery life in 15 minutes
Apple Watch Ultra 3	12 hours of battery life in 15 minutes	12 hours of battery life in 15 minutes

As mentioned, the new 1-meter Apple Watch Magnetic Fast Charger to USB-C Cable is available to order for $29 U.S. on Apple's online store.
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Apple memory supplier SK Hynix is in exploratory talks with Intel about manufacturing memory chips in the United States for the first time, according to Reuters.


One option would see the South Korean chipmaker lease part of Intel's planned manufacturing complex in Ohio. Another would involve a joint venture with Intel and major cloud providers seeking to secure memory supplies, people familiar with the discussions said. No decisions have been made, and other arrangements remain possible.

SK Hynix supplies Apple with memory alongside Samsung and Micron. The discussions come as AI infrastructure spending puts pressure on the supply of memory for consumer devices, including iPhones and Macs. Chipmakers have been directing more production capacity toward high-bandwidth memory (HBM) for AI processors, leaving smartphone and computer manufacturers competing for available supplies.

In February, Apple reportedly agreed to pay Samsung twice as much for memory chips needed for iPhone 17 production. More recently, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was reducing its 2026 hardware shipment plans because of DRAM shortages, with supply constraints also affecting the Mac Studio, Mac mini, and MacBook Air.

It remains unclear which types of memory SK Hynix would manufacture under a potential agreement with Intel. Its products include DRAM used in smartphones, computers, and servers, NAND flash storage, and HBM for AI processors. The report does not mention whether a U.S. facility would produce memory for Apple devices.

SK Hynix already has an advanced packaging facility under construction in West Lafayette, Indiana. That project will package DRAM wafers manufactured in South Korea into HBM chips, rather than fabricate the wafers domestically.
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Amazon has the first cash discounts on Apple's brand new Mac mini and Mac Studio, with up to $49 off select models. One of the best deals is on the M5 Max Mac Studio with 36GB RAM and a 512GB SSD, on sale for $2,449.99, down from $2,499.00.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

All of these deals are pre-order discounts on the 2026 Mac mini and Mac Studio, which officially launch on September 22. Regarding the Mac mini, you can get the 16GB RAM/256GB SSD Mac mini for $879.99, down from $899.00, and the 16GB RAM/512GB SSD model for $1,069.99, down from $1,099.00.






In terms of upgrades, Apple said the Mac mini with the M6 chip delivers up to 40% faster CPU performance, up to 4× faster performance for AI tasks in particular, up to 2× faster graphics performance, and up to 2× faster storage speeds compared to the previous-generation model with the 10-core M4 chip, 32GB of unified memory, and 2TB of storage.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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In iOS 27, available now, Apple has made some changes and additions to the iPhone's stock Camera app, including the addition of a new Siri mode.


Available in addition to the Video, Photo, and other camera modes, Siri mode can be accessed by swiping across the mode carousel at the bottom of the screen.

The new mode uses Visual Intelligence to identify objects in the frame and provide information about them. It can be used to identify plants, animals, food, and more. If it's food you want info on, for example, it can tell you what it is, and how many calories are in it.

Other examples Siri mode can be used for include capturing a photo of an event flyer and adding a date to the Calendar app, text translation, splitting a bill, and more.

In Siri mode, a button on the right lets you search Google Images, and a button on the left lets you ask a specific question. So you can ask for help to cook the food in the frame, for instance.

Apple has also tweaked the way the camera interface works in other ways. Quick access tools for activating flash, Live Photo, and Night mode are now located at the top-center of the UI, while the full set of tools can be accessed from the bottom-right instead of the top-right. It's also possible to customize which controls are displayed at the top of the screen.

Apple made iOS 27 available to download on supported iPhone models on September 14, a few days ahead of the launch of new iPhone 18 Pro models on September 18.
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The first iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max reviews have been published today by selected tech websites and YouTube channels, ahead of the devices beginning to arrive to customers and launching in stores this Friday, September 18.


While the iPhone 17 Pro models featured a major design overhaul last year, the iPhone 18 Pro models look the same overall and have a set of more incremental year-over-year upgrades related to the cameras, battery life, and performance.

With the new A20 Pro chip, the first 2nm chip in a smartphone, Apple said the iPhone 18 Pro models deliver up to 20% faster CPU performance and up to 40% faster graphics performance compared to the A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro.

Gizmodo's Raymond Wong benchmarked the A20 Pro chip:

I ran Geekbench 7's CPU benchmark on the iPhone 18 Pro and compared results with the iPhone 17 Pro. Both phones were running the official iOS 27 release. The iPhone 18 Pro scored 4,027 for single-core and 11,540 for multi-core, and the iPhone 17 Pro mustered 3,258 on single-core and 9,167 on multi-core. That works out to a 24% boost for single-core performance and a 26% boost for multi-core.

A revamped vapor chamber cooling system in the iPhone 18 Pro models is three times larger than the one in the iPhone 17 Pro models, for better heat dissipation. This allows the A20 Pro to achieve peak, sustained performance for longer.

Wong on the iPhone 18 Pro's thermal management:

I don't think the iPhone 18 Pros got hot once doing anything normal that would cause it to heat up. Not even shooting 4K resolution video at 60 fps under the heatwave that baked Cupertino during the Apple launch event could overheat it.

Both of the iPhone 18 Pro models have longer battery life compared to the previous generation — especially the iPhone 18 Pro Max. If we go by Apple's offline video playback metric, the iPhone 18 Pro Max has up to 15% longer battery life compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Fast charging to 50% now takes 15 minutes, down from 20 minutes.

Tom's Guide published its typical battery life test, in which the iPhone 18 Pro Max achieved around half an hour longer battery life compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max:

• OnePlus 15: 25 hours and 13 minutes


• iPhone 18 Pro Max: 18 hours and 27 minutes


• iPhone 17 Pro Max: 17 hours and 54 minutes


• Galaxy S26 Ultra: 16 hours and 40 minutes


• iPhone 18 Pro: 16 hours and 17 minutes


• iPhone 17 Pro: 15 hours and 21 minutes

iPhone 18 Pro models have a slightly smaller Dynamic Island at the top of the screen that supports up to three Live Activities at once, up from two.

9to5Mac's Chance Miller on a related Dynamic Island change:

In my testing, what I've actually appreciated most is what happens when you have two Live Activities running at the same time. Thanks to the smaller Dynamic Island, the second Live Activity that appears on the right side can now show more information.

The popular flight-tracking app Flighty showed this off:The main 48-megapixel Fusion camera on both the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max has variable aperture, allowing you to adjust the amount of light that reaches the image sensor for greater control over depth of field. Apple says this upgrade will allow for improved low-light photography and crisper details in the back of group photos.

Variable aperture options include ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0.

PetaPixel's Jaron Schneider on the variable aperture:

I think Apple's choice not to lock us to the wider aperture was very smart, because sharpness takes a hit when shooting wide open. We noticed that while the center is about as sharp as last year's iPhone 17 Pro when shooting at night, the edges quickly degraded — this is not unusual for a wide-open lens, even on a full-size camera. When you're that wide open, image quality tends to fall off without a bunch of additional glass elements to counteract it. However, the image cleans up nicely at f/1.8 and sharpness peaks at f/2.8. At f/4, sharpness dips again, this time from diffraction, but not substantially. In order from sharpest to softest, it goes: f/2.8, f/1.8, f/4, and f/1.48.

In the Camera app, iPhone 18 Pro users can manually adjust shutter speed, white balance, and aperture, and there is an option to use a histogram. These new "Pro controls" are exclusive to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.

CNET's Patrick Holland on the Pro controls:

I enjoy these controls, as I have when they've appeared on Android phones. My big criticism is how they're accessed: I use the lens aperture and shutter speed controls quite a bit, but they are located at the bottom of the camera controls drawer. When shooting one-handed, I have to tap, then expand the drawer to get to the bottom. I wish I could customize the position of the icons like I can with settings in the phone's control center. Also, why can't I assign any of these to the Camera Control button on the side of the phone? Imagine focus pulling in a video recording by sliding your finger.

For 5G and LTE, the iPhone 18 Pro is equipped with Apple's second-generation C2 cellular modem worldwide, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max has the C2 modem in every country except the U.S., where it is reportedly still equipped with a Qualcomm modem, perhaps for contractual reasons. Apple said the C2 modem delivers "meaningfully faster uploads" compared to its previous C1X modem while consuming 15% less energy. In the U.S., the C2 is Apple's first modem with mmWave 5G support.

We have not yet found any reviews that tested the C2 modem in a scientific way, but anecdotally most reviewers found 5G performance to be very adequate.

iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max color options: a classic Silver, the return of Black, and special new Burgundy and Glacier finishes.

In our view, there is no massive reason to upgrade to the iPhone 18 Pro models if you are coming from an iPhone 17 Pro or perhaps even an iPhone 16 Pro. If you have an iPhone 14 Pro or older, though, upgrading to the iPhone 18 Pro is worth it to catch up on years of enhancements and bump up to a model that supports the new-and-improved Siri, which truly is a lot better and is available on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer.

That's the reality with most iPhone launches nowadays: the devices remain excellent, yet the year-over-year upgrades can sort of feel "meh."

The Verge's Allison Johnson described the iPhone 18 Pro as "excellent and utterly iterative."

And there is the iPhone Duo to consider this year, too.

Engadget's Cherlynn Low:

In the iPhone Duo's shadow, the iPhone 18 Pro certainly feels like an "S" device. But S-year iPhones were never bad iPhones. They were simply unexciting. Similarly, while none of the iPhone 18 Pro's latest features are things you should run out the door to spend money on, it's certainly a meaningful improvement for anyone on an iPhone 16 Pro or older. Of all the iPhones you can buy now, it has the best camera setup, and anyone with the slightest interest in manual photography will appreciate the new variable aperture controls.

Videos

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Apple today announced "What Holds Us," a photography exhibition featuring work shot exclusively on the iPhone 18 Pro by Alex Prager, Jack Davison, and Jimmy Chin. Curated by Kathy Ryan, the exhibition explores human connection through crowd scenes, portraits involving clay, and mountain photography.

The exhibition will be on display in New York City from September 18 to 20, before traveling to London and Shanghai over the coming months. You can see many of the exhibition's images in Apple's Newsroom post.
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Apple is considering offering an AI server built around "M8" series chips and has discussed incorporating Nvidia networking hardware, The Information reports.



The system would be sold to outside customers, potentially bringing Apple back into a business it left behind when it discontinued Xserve in 2011. Apple is reportedly targeting companies that want to run AI models on their own equipment, with a particular focus on inference and generating responses from trained models.

One option under consideration is Nvidia's NVLink Fusion, which provides hardware and software for exchanging data between chips. Apple could use the platform to link its M8 processors, although neither the Nvidia arrangement nor the server itself is finalized. The report places a potential release date in 2029, but it could be canceled before then.

Apple CEO John Ternus reportedly supported the initiative when work on it began approximately a year ago, during his tenure as the company's hardware engineering chief. The project follows growing interest in Apple hardware among AI businesses, which have been buying Mac mini and Mac Studio systems in large quantities.

Apple already produces server hardware for Private Cloud Compute, the infrastructure that handles Apple Intelligence tasks requiring processing beyond a user's device. According to the report, scaling Apple's existing connections between chips would present cost and speed problems, which is why it is considering Nvidia's technology. Apple has also declined partners' requests to use those Private Cloud Compute servers.

An agreement would give Nvidia a role in an Apple product that could compete with its own AI systems. NVLink Fusion allows Nvidia to supply networking technology to companies building alternative processors, expanding its business beyond customers using Nvidia chips.

The discussions also suggest a closer working relationship between Apple and Nvidia following their longstanding disputes. Apple has already announced plans to extend Private Cloud Compute to Google Cloud using Nvidia GPUs. The companies have reportedly explored additional ways to work together on AI, including the use of Nvidia's open-source models.

The project still faces challenges beyond developing the hardware. There is still said to be a need for stronger support for business customers and more software resources for AI developers, including further investment in its MLX framework.
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The Apple Watch Ultra 4 is now available for pre-order, bringing a new health sensing system, more memory, and longer battery life over its predecessor. Here's everything that's new.


Last year, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 introduced a larger, more efficient display, satellite connectivity, 5G, and improved battery life. The Ultra 4 retains the same basic design and display, but focuses on more detailed health and fitness insights, new Audio Intelligence features, and further battery life improvements.

It launches on Friday, September 18, at the same $799 starting price as the Ultra 3. The comparison below outlines the differences between the two generations:

Apple Watch Ultra 3	Apple Watch Ultra 4
S10 chip (2024)	S11 chip (2026)
2GB RAM	4GB RAM
Electrical heart sensor	"Health Sensing System" with second-generation electrical heart sensor
Third-generation optical heart sensor	Always-on optical heart sensor
Background heart rate tracking	High-frequency background heart rate tracking every five seconds, 60x more frequently
HRV	Recovery HRV and overall HRV, measured up to 24x more often
Vitals app with heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, and sleep duration	Vitals app heart rate, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, sleep duration, HRV, and a daytime vitals view
	Readiness app
	Real-time heart rate complication
Step tracking	More accurate step tracking and indoor workout distance measurements
	Steps complication
	Audio Intelligence (Live Rewind, Siri Recap, Sound Recognition, and automatic music identification with Shazam)
Up to 42 hours of normal use	Up to 50 hours of normal use
Up to 72 hours in Low Power Mode	Up to 84 hours in Low Power Mode
Up to 14 hours of outdoor workout tracking with full GPS and heart rate readings	Up to 18 hours of standard outdoor workout tracking
Up to 20 hours of outdoor workout tracking in Low Power Mode with full GPS and heart rate readings	Up to 25 hours in Extended Workout mode with full GPS and heart rate readings
Up to 35 hours of outdoor workout tracking in Low Power Mode with Fewer GPS and Heart Rate Readings enabled	Up to 45 hours in Max Extended Workout mode, retaining GPS readings every second
15 minutes of charging for up to 12 hours of normal use	15 minutes of charging for up to 18 hours of normal use
5 minutes of charging for up to 8 hours of sleep tracking	5 minutes of charging for up to 10 hours of sleep tracking
Natural titanium: 61.6 grams Black titanium: 61.8 grams	Natural titanium: 63.0 grams Black titanium: 63.1 grams
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou	GPS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou
40% recycled content	45% recycled content
Now discontinued	From $799

Is It Worth Upgrading From Ultra 3 to Ultra 4?

For the vast majority of Apple Watch Ultra 3 owners, the Ultra 4 is not worth upgrading to. The Ultra 3 already offers all of the headline display, durability, satellite connectivity, and established health features. If it comfortably lasts between your usual charging sessions and records your longest workouts, the new model is unlikely to meaningfully change how you use your watch.

The strongest reason to upgrade is if you want recovery tracking to play a larger role in your training. The Ultra 4's more frequent measurements feed into Readiness and Recovery HRV, making it easier to assess when to push harder or take a lighter day. These features are more compelling if you will regularly use them to adjust your training, rather than simply check another set of health metrics.

Battery life is a more practical reason for endurance athletes. If you currently change settings to finish long events or recharge during an extended outing, the Ultra 4 gives you a little more flexibility. For shorter daily workouts, however, the improvement mainly means less frequent charging, which is difficult to justify replacing a year-old $799 watch for.

Audio Intelligence may also justify upgrading for specific users, particularly deaf or hard of hearing users who would benefit from Sound Recognition on their wrist. Live Rewind and Siri Recap are less convincing reasons to upgrade immediately, since they arrive in beta later this year and require a compatible newer iPhone.

Should You Buy Ultra 3 or Ultra 4?

For new buyers, the Ultra 4 should be the default choice when the price difference is modest. If you plan to wear it for several years, paying a little more for the new chip, more memory, better battery life, and health tracking enhancements is easier to justify than replacing an Ultra 3 you already own.

The Ultra 3 becomes the better value when it is heavily discounted. If you mainly want a "rugged"-style Apple Watch with a large screen, satellite connectivity, and enough battery life for everyday use and regular workouts, it delivers much of the same experience. Buyers interested in Readiness and recovery insights, or who regularly record very long activities, have a stronger reason to pay more for the Apple Watch Ultra 4.

For used or refurbished Ultra 3 models, factor battery condition and warranty coverage into the saving. A cheaper watch with a degraded battery is less appealing if endurance is your main reason for buying an Ultra.
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If you're upgrading to macOS Golden Gate and you have an AirPort Time Capsule, Time Machine won't be able to back up to it. macOS 27 removes support for AFP, the legacy file-sharing protocol that Time Capsule relies on for Time Machine backups. Said backups now exclusively use the SMB protocol, which Apple's discontinued Time Capsule hardware does not support in the form required by macOS 27.

Apple warned users about the change back in June 2025 when macOS Tahoe began displaying a warning that Time Capsule backups would no longer work in the next macOS. Users still backing up to one will need an alternative, such as an external drive or a modern NAS.
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The EU will ban children under 13 from using social media platforms, some gaming platforms, and AI chatbots without parental supervision. The ban is set to be outlined in the Kids Act, which will be published on Thursday, reports Financial Times.

"No social media under the age of 13. No personal account under the age of 15," said the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in a speech on Wednesday. "Europe has the power to act. It is us who decide the rules, not big tech."

According to a draft proposal seen by FT, children under 13 will only be allowed access with supervision from a parent, while children between 13 and 15 will need parental consent to create accounts with parental controls and other restrictions like time limits.

Meanwhile, social media companies, online gaming services, and AI chatbots will be required to introduce safeguards to protect children from abuse and addictive behavior, and companies that offer AI companions and chatbots services will have to avoid designs that encourage unhealthy emotional attachments or expose them to harmful interactions.

Affected companies will also be required to verify the age of users with an official age verification app. Failure to comply with the rules could result in fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue.
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The iPhone 18 Pro models support Apple Reference Image, a way to verify that a photo was taken with an iPhone and hasn't been edited. Apple says it's a method to prove that something actually happened and wasn't AI-generated, likening the feature to a digital film negative.

Apple Reference Image offers a trustworthy, scalable guarantee that a reference image is what it claims to be: a real photograph, captured by a real sensor in an iPhone camera, at a specific time. It sets a new standard for verifiable digital photography.

Apple introduced Apple Reference Image when debuting the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and Pro Max, and today the company shared more information on how the feature works on its Security Research blog.

Apple Reference Image boots the camera sensor into a specialized reference mode. The mode instructs the sensor to cryptographically sign pixel data immediately after capture, and the sensor firmware is prevented from modifying the data. Other authentication systems don't sign images until the end of the software processing pipeline, which Apple says leaves images vulnerable to tampering attacks.

Apple Reference Image creates a "secure digital negative" protected from software compromise alongside a standard editable photo. The negative is stored on-device and includes pixel data, sensor metadata, and cryptographic timestamps with lower and upper bounds. When a user decides to "develop" the negative for verification, it is sent unprocessed to Private Cloud Compute. Private Cloud Compute runs the steps needed to render the image in a secure, private, and verifiable environment.

Apple says the feature resists data injection attacks, compromised operating systems, hardware attacks, and cryptographic attacks. Apple believes Apple Reference Image is the only image provenance system with quantum-secure defenses. In case the system is breached, there is a revocation option. Private Cloud Compute calculates a confidence score for each image, and Apple can revoke individual photos or an entire sensor if fraud is detected.

To safeguard photographers, Apple Reference Image avoids using an explicit, public credential for photographers, and it prevents public association between different photos taken by the same sensor. The confidentiality of the image is protected, including from Apple.

Apple Reference Image is opt-in and is limited to the Main camera sensor.

More information on the ins and outs of Apple Reference Image can be found in Apple's full blog post.
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To take advantage of the iPhone Duo's dual-display design, Apple is introducing new Camera app features that are unique to the foldable iPhone.

Smart Take

Smart Take uses AI to determine when everyone (including the iPhone owner) is ready for a group shot, so no one has to use a timer or stay out of the picture to capture the image.


You can prop up the ‌iPhone Duo‌ in a half-folded orientation, get in frame, and then wait for the group shot to be taken.

Kid Cue

Kid Cue shows little Peanuts animations to children so they look at the camera when you're taking a photo.

Duo Preview

With Duo Preview, the Camera app shows a live preview of the shot on both displays, so the subject you're taking a photo of can make adjustments.

Duo FaceTime

Nearby friends can participate in a FaceTime call using the outer display while the iPhone owner uses the inner display, so nobody has to crowd around the iPhone or pass it around to get on video.


Duo ‌FaceTime‌ is not the same as Dual Capture, which records video with both the front and rear cameras. Duo ‌FaceTime‌ specifically uses the outer display to allow another person to join in on a call.

Unique Form Factor Features

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ can be used in multiple orientations, including when it's half-folded. The Duo stands up on its own, for taking ‌FaceTime‌ calls and recording video without holding it.


The folding mechanism acts like a built-in tripod and stand, so it's also useful for selfies and long exposures. You can also capture selfies with the higher-quality 48MP rear camera while using the outer display as a viewfinder, which isn't something you can do with a slab iPhone.

Camera Hardware

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ has a "Dual Fusion" two-camera setup with a 48MP Main camera. It's basically the same camera that's in the iPhone 17 (not the 17 Pro), offering 26mm 24MP images by default, along with 12MP 2x "telephoto" images at 52mm.

The camera supports sensor-shift optical image stabilization, but not the second-generation version available in the Pro models. It also does not support spatial photos or the ProRAW format.

It also includes a 48MP Ultra Wide camera with a 13mm focal length and macro capabilities. Since there's no Telephoto lens, the ‌iPhone Duo‌ is limited to 2x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, and digital zoom up to 10x for images.

Other Camera Capabilities

Like the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, the ‌iPhone Duo‌ supports the latest Photographic Styles, which adds texture and grain parameters.

Video

Smart focus tracking is a feature new to the ‌iPhone Duo‌ and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. It uses AI to keep a subject in focus at all times, and pick up subject tracking if the subject exits the frame and then reappears.

The Duo supports 4K Dolby Vision video recording at up to 120 fps, and Cinematic mode for recording videos in 4K Dolby Vision at up to 60 fps. For the first time, Cinematic mode effects can be added to a video after capture on the Duo and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌. Apple also says there's improved low-light video on the Duo when recording at 1080p.

Time-lapse video recording with stabilization up to 4K Dolby Vision is a new ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone Duo‌ option. It's especially useful on the ‌iPhone Duo‌ because you can record a stable video without the need for a tripod.

Front Camera

The ‌iPhone Duo‌'s outer front-facing camera is 12MP, not 18MP like the ‌iPhone 17‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models. It otherwise has the same features.

The inner display has a 1080p ‌FaceTime‌ camera that's under the display.

Missing Camera Features

Compared to the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and Pro Max, the ‌iPhone Duo‌ has a more rudimentary camera system. It lacks many features available on the Pro models.

• Telephoto lens


• Pro Controls


• Apple Reference Image


• Variable aperture


• Second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization


• Adaptive True Tone flash


• Spatial photos and video recording


• ProRAW


• ProRes


• ProRes RAW


• Genlock


• Apple Log 2 video recording


• Studio-quality four-mic array

Launch Date

The ‌iPhone Duo‌ will be available for pre-order on October 16, and it will launch on October 23. Pricing starts at $1,999.
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Apple today added the 2019 4K iMac to its list of vintage products, which means repairs can only be done if Apple has the parts available.


Products are added to the vintage list five years after they were last distributed for sale, and they're moved to the obsolete list at the seven-year mark. Vintage products can be repaired at Apple Stores and by Apple Authorized Service Providers if the parts are available, but that's not guaranteed. Devices that are obsolete are not eligible for repair and Apple no longer makes repair components.

The 2019 iMac preceded the colorful, redesigned M1 ‌iMac‌ that came out in 2021. The machine featured a 21.5-inch Retina 4K display and the standard silver ‌iMac‌ design. The base model was equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. Pricing in 2019 started at $1,299.

The 2019 27-inch ‌iMac‌ that was sold alongside the 21.5-inch model was added to the vintage list in July 2025, but Apple sold the smaller model for a longer so it didn't previously qualify as vintage.
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Apple last week announced the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max, arriving two years after the iPhone 16 Pro and ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max. Skipping a generation means makes for a bigger upgrade, with more than 50 differences between the 2024 and 2026 models.


Most of the visible change arrived in between, with the iPhone 17 Pro replacing the titanium frame and glass back with an aluminum unibody and Ceramic Shield 2, adding vapor chamber cooling, and upgrading both the telephoto and front cameras. This year's update is largely focused on internal changes, centering on the A20 Pro chip, a variable-aperture Main camera, a smaller Dynamic Island, and a battery capacity increase that delivers the largest jump in battery life in the iPhone's history. For ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro owners, the two sets of changes stack on top of each other.

The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ starts at $1,199 for 256GB, $200 more than the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro's $999 launch price, although the entry storage tier has doubled from 128GB. Apple no longer sells the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro directly, so any comparison now involves either a device you already own or a third-party listing. Here's everything that differs between the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌:

Design and Display

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro (2024)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
Titanium frame with full glass back	Aluminum unibody with partial Ceramic Shield back
8.25mm thickness	8.75mm thickness
Glass rounded square camera bump	Full-width rounded rectangle aluminum camera plateau
Ceramic Shield front	Ceramic Shield 2 front with 3x better scratch resistance
Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating only	Apple-designed anti-reflective display coating to reduce glare
2,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor)	3,000 nits peak display brightness (outdoor)
	2x better outdoor contrast
‌Dynamic Island‌ supports up to two simultaneous Live Activities	Smaller ‌Dynamic Island‌, supports up to three simultaneous Live Activities
iPhone 16 Pro: Weighs 7.03 ounces (199 grams) iPhone 16 Pro Max: Weighs 7.99 ounces (227 grams)	iPhone 18 Pro: Weighs 7.44 ounces (211 grams) iPhone 18 Pro Max: Weighs 8.78 ounces (249 grams)
Available in White, Black, Natural, and Desert	Available in Silver, Black, Glacier, and Burgundy

Chip, Performance, and Connectivity

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro (2024)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
A18 Pro chip	A20 Pro chip
Built with TSMC's N3E 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
60GB/s memory bandwidth	~115GB/s memory bandwidth
8GB RAM	12GB RAM
6-core GPU	7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators
16-core Neural Engine	Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 total cores)
	Vapor chamber cooling with 3x more surface area than the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌
	New chip packaging that places silicon die beside memory, allowing it to attach directly to the vapor chamber
Qualcomm Snapdragon X71 modem	iPhone 18 Pro: Apple C2 modem in all countries iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple C2 modem in all countries except the U.S., where it uses a Qualcomm modem
Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip	Apple N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread
Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity	Bluetooth 6 connectivity

Rear Camera

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro (2024)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
12-megapixel Telephoto camera	48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto camera
0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 5x optical zoom options	0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x, and 8x optical zoom options
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 (Main camera only)
Audio Mix	Audio Mix with new algorithms for higher-quality voices, and the ability to isolate music
	ProRes RAW capture support
	Genlock support

Front Camera

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro (2024)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
12-megapixel TrueDepth camera	18-megapixel TrueDepth camera
Tap to zoom	Tap to zoom and rotate
	Center Stage
	Ultra-stabilized video
	Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps)
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

Battery and Charging

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro (2024)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
iPhone 16 Pro: 3,582 mAh battery iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,685 mAh battery	iPhone 18 Pro: 4,056 mAh battery iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5,391 mAh battery
iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 27 hours of video playback iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 33 hours of video playback	iPhone 18 Pro: Up to 36 hours of video playback iPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 45 hours of video playback
iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with a 20W adapter or higher	Up to 50% charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W-capable adapter
iPhone 16 Pro: MagSafe wireless charging up to 22W with a 30W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: ‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 25W with a 30W adapter or higher	‌MagSafe‌ wireless charging up to 25W, reaching 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 35W adapter or higher

Storage and Pricing

‌iPhone 16‌ Pro (2024)	‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ (2026)
iPhone 16 Pro: Available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage iPhone 16 Pro Max: Available with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage	Available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB storage
iPhone 16 Pro: Launched at $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB), $1,499 (1TB) iPhone 16 Pro Max: Launched at $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB), $1,599 (1TB)	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)
Now discontinued, 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

Which to Choose?

For ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max owners, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is a worthwhile upgrade, and a far easier recommendation than it is for anyone coming from last year's model. Two generations of changes accumulate, touching almost every part of the device: an all-new aluminum unibody with Ceramic Shield 2 and three times better scratch resistance, a display that is 50% brighter outdoors at 3,000 nits and features an anti-reflective coating the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro lacks entirely, and a battery that runs for 36 hours rather than 27, rising from 33 hours to 45 hours on the Pro Max. Charging has changed most dramatically of all, dropping from 50% in 30 minutes to 50% in around 15 minutes.

The camera differences are also major. The telephoto camera moves from 12 megapixels at 5x to 48 megapixels with 4x and 8x optical options, the front camera jumps from 12 megapixels to 18 megapixels and gains Center Stage and ultra-stabilized video, and the Main camera trades its fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture for a four-stop variable aperture ranging from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4.0. Add ProRes RAW, Genlock, Dual Capture, Cinematic mode at 60 fps, and manual Pro controls, and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ is a substantially different camera system.

Performance is the other argument for upgrading, particularly if you have noticed your ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro throttling. The A20 Pro moves to a 2nm process, gains a seventh GPU core with Neural Accelerators, and doubles the Neural Engine to 32 cores, while the vapor chamber that the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro lacks entirely is now in its second generation. If you play demanding games, shoot long video clips, or expect to lean on on-device Apple Intelligence features for several more years, the extra 4GB of RAM and the doubled Neural Engine make the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ the more future-proof purchase.

That being said, the price has moved against you. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ costs $200 more than the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro did at launch, even accounting for the doubled 256GB entry tier, and the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max is $100 more than its equivalent. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max is also 22 grams heavier than the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max, which is noticeable in the hand, although it buys you the largest battery gain Apple has ever delivered on an iPhone and the option of a 2TB device.

A notable exception arises if you are upgrading primarily for the design, the telephoto camera, or the battery. Almost all of those enhancements arrived with the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ rather than this year's model, so an ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ bought from a third-party retailer at a heavy discount will get you most of the way there for meaningfully less money. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌'s genuine exclusives over that model are the variable aperture and Pro controls, the C2 modem, the smaller ‌Dynamic Island‌, and roughly three extra hours of battery life. If none of those matter to you, last year's model is the better value.

Pre-orders for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max opened on Saturday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.
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After Apple introduced the AirPods 5 last week, we got a set to take home and review. We've been testing the AirPods 5 for the last week and have some initial thoughts.


The ‌AirPods 5‌ have the same overall design and fit as the AirPods 4, so they're just as comfortable as the prior-generation model.

Active Noise Cancellation has been improved through new internal acoustic architecture, and it's surprisingly good. The ‌AirPods 5‌ don't have silicone ear tips so you might not expect ANC to work as well as earbuds with a tighter fit, but there is a noticeable improvement over the ANC version of the AirPods 4.

Apple says the ‌AirPods 5‌ use low-noise microphones and a new compressor tuned for open-ear ANC. The compressor is tuned to a wider frequency range and can react faster than before when conditions change. Sound is measured for the left and right ears independently, correcting for fit leaks to further improve ANC.

Sound quality on the ‌AirPods 5‌ was muddier than on the AirPods Pro 3, especially in the low mids. iOS 27 has custom EQ, though, which allows for adjustments. The ‌AirPods 5‌ support Adaptive Audio and Transparency, so they have most of the same audio features as the ‌AirPods Pro 3‌.

Apple used to limit ANC to the higher-end version of the AirPods 4, but with the ‌AirPods 5‌, it's universal. You can now get AirPods with ANC for just $129. There's an upgraded model with a Wireless Charging Case, an extra hour of battery life, and swipe-based controls on the stem for $149. The base model has four hours of battery with ANC, while the upgraded version offers five hours.

Live Translation, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and other features that were previously limited to the higher-end AirPods 4 model are now on all models. Dust and water resistance has improved, and the AirPods have an IP57 rating, so they'll hold up better to sweat and moisture exposure.

With the ANC upgrade and the price drop, the ‌AirPods 5‌ are an excellent value. If you've been hesitant to get AirPods because of the price, this is the version to get. People who have AirPods Pro or AirPods 4 with ANC don't need to upgrade, but it's a big improvement if you have older AirPods.

The ‌AirPods 5‌ are available for pre-order and will launch on Friday, September 18.
This article, "AirPods 5 Hands-On: Better Noise Cancellation, Lower Price" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The first unverified benchmark result for Apple's new M5 Ultra chip surfaced in the Geekbench 7 database today, offering a look at the chip's impressive performance gains. The new Mac Studio will be Apple's first device to be equipped with the M5 Ultra.


Here is how the highest-end M5 Ultra chip with a 36-core CPU scored:

• Single-core CPU score: 3,774


• Multi-core CPU score: 52,516

Apple never released an M4 Ultra chip. Here are the average scores for the highest-end M3 Ultra chip with a 32-core CPU on Geekbench 7:

• Single-core CPU score: 2,920


• Multi-core CPU score: 39,059

Unsurprisingly, the M5 Ultra is Apple's fastest chip ever. If this Geekbench result is accurate, it has up to around 30% faster single-core CPU performance and up to around 35% faster multi-core performance compared to the M3 Ultra. But, it comes at a steep cost. In the U.S., the Mac Studio with a 36-core M5 Ultra starts at $6,799.

Apple said the M5 Ultra has up to 1.25× faster single-threaded CPU performance and up to 1.3× faster multi-threaded CPU performance compared to the M3 Ultra, so the benchmark result roughly aligns with or even beats those advertised claims. However, keep in mind that there wil be some variance in scores as additional results surface.

Here is where the M5 Ultra slots in for maximum multi-core CPU performance:

• M5 Ultra: 52,516


• M3 Ultra: 39,059


• M5 Max: 35,119


• M5 Pro: 33,593


• M4 Max: 29,047


• M2 Ultra: 28,789


• M4 Pro: 24,894


• M3 Max: 24,649


• M1 Ultra: 23,328


• M6: 22,783


• M5: 17,948


• M2 Max: 17,387


• M3 Pro: 16,880


• M2 Pro: 16,725


• M4: 15,477


• M1 Max: 14,299


• M1 Pro: 13,914


• M3: 11,650


• M2: 9,809


• M1: 8,582

Based on these scores, the M5 Ultra is up to 2.25× faster than Apple's original M1 Ultra chip and up to 6× faster compared to the regular M1 chip.

As always, real-world performance varies.

The new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips and the new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chips launch on Tuesday, September 22.

We are still waiting for GPU results for the M5 Ultra to appear in the Geekbench 7 database.
This article, "M5 Ultra Chip's Impressive Performance Boost Revealed in First Benchmark Result" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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MacRumors has partnered with OWC to bring our readers big savings on the retailer's best Thunderbolt docks, USB-C cables, and external storage enclosures. These exclusive deals will run through Monday, September 21 at 12:00 a.m. CST, so you have the rest of this week to shop.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with OWC. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

All discounts have been applied automatically, so all you need to do is follow the links below and add one of the accessories to your cart to see the savings. There are seven total items on sale, including two docks, three enclosures, and two USB-C cables.




The two docks on sale include the OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $229.99 ($90 off), and the 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock for $179.99 ($50 off). These docks expand the capabilities of your Mac setup by adding 11 additional ports to your computer.

One of the overall steepest discounts in our exclusive sale is on the OWC Express 4M2 Ultra Enclosure, which is on sale for $244.99 ($205 off). Below you'll find additional desktop RAID systems on sale, as well as two USB-C cables at low prices.

• OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt Dock - $179.99, down from $229.99


• OWC 11-Port Thunderbolt 5 Dock - $229.99, down from $319.99


• OWC Express 1M2 80G Enclosure - $114.99, down from $149.99


• OWC Express 4M2 Ultra Enclosure - $244.99, down from $449.99


• OWC ThunderBay 4 Enclosure - $309.99, down from $399.99


• OWC Thunderbolt 5 USB-C Cable, 1.0M - $19.99, down from $34.99


• OWC Thunderbolt 4 USB-C Cable, 2.0M - $39.99, down from $57.99

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

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This article, "OWC's Best Mac Accessories Are on Sale Just for MacRumors Readers" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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The first unverified benchmark result for Apple's new M6 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 7 database today, offering a look at the chip's performance gains. The new Mac mini will be Apple's first device to be equipped with the M6 chip, which is 2nm.


Here is how the M6 chip scored:

• Single-core CPU score: 4,071


• Multi-core CPU score: 22,783

Here are the average M5 chip scores for comparison:

• Single-core CPU score: 3,641


• Multi-core CPU score: 17,948

If this single Geekbench 7 result is accurate, the M6 chip has up to around 12% faster single-core CPU performance and up to around 27% faster multi-core CPU performance compared to the M5 chip. Note that the M6 chip is in the new Mac mini, while the M5 chip scores are based on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, but performance should be similar.

Apple said the M6 chip has the world's fastest single-threaded CPU performance, and its 4,071 single-core score indeed tops all other Macs and PCs in the Geekbench 7 database, including the M5 Max chip (3,731) and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (3,396). Up to 27% faster multi-core CPU performance is in line with Apple's claim of up to 1.2× faster multi-threaded performance, so all of Apple's advertised claims hold up.

Here is where the M6 chip slots in for maximum multi-core CPU performance:

• M5 Ultra: 52,516


• M3 Ultra: 39,059


• M5 Max: 35,119


• M5 Pro: 33,593


• M4 Max: 29,047


• M2 Ultra: 28,789


• M4 Pro: 24,894


• M3 Max: 24,649


• M1 Ultra: 23,328


• M6: 22,783


• M5: 17,948


• M2 Max: 17,387


• M3 Pro: 16,880


• M2 Pro: 16,725


• M4: 15,477


• M1 Max: 14,299


• M1 Pro: 13,914


• M3: 11,650


• M2: 9,809


• M1: 8,582

Based on these scores, the M6 chip is more than 2.5× faster than Apple's original M1 chip.

As always, real-world performance varies.

The new Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro chips and the new Mac Studio with M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips launch on Tuesday, September 22.

We are still waiting for GPU results for the M6 chip to appear on Geekbench 7.
This article, "M6 Chip Benchmark Surfaces Ahead of New Mac Mini Launch Next Week" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple this week released iOS 27 following around three months of beta testing. If you just installed the software update on your iPhone, you might be wondering where the new-and-improved Siri AI and dedicated Siri app are. In case you missed it, you must join Apple's waitlist in order to gain access to these new features.


Keep in mind that while iOS 27 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer, Siri AI is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and newer. This is because Siri AI requires an iPhone model that is compatible with Apple Intelligence, which we have listed below.

Fortunately, joining the Siri AI waitlist is a simple task:

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.


• Tap on the Siri menu.


• Tap on Try Siri AI (Beta).


• Follow the prompts.

Wait times seem to vary, with some users receiving access to Siri AI within a few minutes of signing up and others having to wait a few hours or even days.

You will receive a notification on your iPhone once you have received access to Siri AI, and the Siri app will automatically appear on your device at that time. You can talk or type to Siri AI in three ways: swipe down on your iPhone's Dynamic Island, press and hold your iPhone's side button to invoke the assistant, or open the Siri app.


The classic version of Siri has always been useful for basic actions like setting a timer and checking the weather, but it has notoriously struggled with more advanced requests over the years. Siri AI is much more intelligent and personalized: it is essentially a ChatGPT-like version of Siri that can respond to most questions.

Siri AI can draw on your personal information stored on your iPhone, has on-screen awareness, and can perform actions in more apps that support it.

The new Siri is limited to English to start, but Apple said support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish will be available in October, likely as part of the release of iOS 27.1. Apple said Siri AI has unspecified daily usage limits, but it noted that expanded access will be coming with select iCloud+ plans.

Siri AI is not available in the EU on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and watchOS 27 at launch, as Apple is in a regulatory battle with the European Commission.

The following iPhone models are compatible with Siri AI:

• iPhone 18 Pro


• iPhone 18 Pro Max


• iPhone Duo


• iPhone 17e


• iPhone 17


• iPhone 17 Pro


• iPhone 17 Pro Max


• iPhone Air


• iPhone 16e


• iPhone 16


• iPhone 16 Plus


• iPhone 16 Pro


• iPhone 16 Pro Max


• iPhone 15 Pro


• iPhone 15 Pro Max

You can adjust Siri AI's pace and expressivity on these iPhone models:

• iPhone 18 Pro


• iPhone 18 Pro Max


• iPhone Duo


• iPhone 17 Pro


• iPhone 17 Pro Max


• iPhone Air

Apple still considers Siri AI to be in beta even though iOS 27 is no longer in beta overall.
This article, "Reminder: iOS 27's All-New Siri AI Has a Waitlist, Here's How to Sign Up" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Apple TV and HomePod mini orders continue to face extended shipping delays on Apple's online store in the U.S., amid endless rumors about new models coming later this year. These shortages have been occurring on and off for more than a year.

Three examples today: estimated delivery dates for the Apple TV with 64GB of storage are pushing into October, the HomePod mini in orange is currently unavailable to order, and the HomePod mini in yellow is facing a November delivery estimate.
This article, "Apple TV Shipping Delays Persist, HomePod Mini Unavailable in Orange" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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