iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max found Apple's first variable aperture camera, using six hair-thin blades that slide with high precision to control light intake. The report also revealed a new chip packaging layout that places the A20 Pro processor beside its memory rather than stacked, separating memory from the chip's heat path, and noted that three of four test units cracked their display frames during battery removal.
In a Decoder podcast interview, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman discussed Apple's recent iPhone hardware event, which marked John Ternus's debut as CEO following Tim Cook's departure less than two weeks earlier. The event also introduced the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable smartphone, a launch Gurman says was deliberately timed to coincide with the leadership transition.
Apple is distributing $250 million to settle claims that it advertised AI-enhanced Siri features that were never actually delivered. Owners of iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model purchased between June 10, 2024 and March 29, 2025 in the US can now file for a payout through the settlement website.
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro Max ships with a battery-firmware lock that caps capacity below the 20Wh threshold that triggers international shipping restrictions on single-cell batteries. Once a customer activates the phone for the first time, the lock lifts automatically, restoring the battery to its full rated capacity of roughly 21-22Wh depending on the model. A 'Prepare to Ship' setting can reimpose the cap, limiting charging to 80 percent over 14 days, for anyone sending the device in for repair or resale.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is testing a smart home display, internally coded J490/J491, in employee homes ahead of a possible launch as soon as next month. The device reportedly combines elements of iOS, tvOS, and watchOS, with its own home screen, widgets, and clock faces, and leans heavily on an upgraded Siri to handle tasks across apps like Notes and Reminders.
Weibo leaker Digital Chat Station claims Apple is prototyping two new iPhone displays—6.41 inches and 6.96 inches—for what may become the iPhone 20 Pro and Pro Max. The panels reportedly feature a bezel-less design that curves on all four edges, paired with a new punch-hole camera cutout, though no actual images of the hardware have surfaced.
Apple has built a 'Prepare to Ship' firmware feature into the iPhone 18 Pro Max that temporarily caps its battery below the 20Wh transport limit enforced in the US, EU and other regions. Once the device is activated by a customer, the cap lifts and the phone's full 5,391mAh capacity becomes available. The same toggle can be re-enabled manually when shipping a device for repair, trade-in or resale.
iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max exposes the new variable aperture lens, which uses six overlapping blades thinner than a human hair to control light via a magnetic mechanism. The site praises the engineering that fits this system into the same camera footprint as last year's model, but warns the mechanism is essentially impossible to repair if it fails.
Apple introduced iPhone Handoff, a new iOS 27 capability that lets a single phone number and carrier account work across two iPhones simultaneously. Users simply unlock whichever iPhone they want to use, and calls, texts, saved payment cards and most apps sync automatically without needing separate accounts on each device.
iFixIt disassembled four units of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max and found that the plastic frame behind the display broke on three of them during removal. Since Apple doesn't sell that frame as a standalone part, a cracked one means replacing the entire display module. Separately, YouTuber Zach Nelson's own teardown didn't encounter the same issue and he rated the phone favorably for repairability.
iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro examined the new variable aperture system, an under-display Face ID infrared camera, and a larger vapor chamber. During disassembly, a tiny aperture blade popped loose, suggesting that any malfunction in the mechanism would likely force a full replacement of the main camera assembly rather than a simple fix.
Apple's overhauled Siri AI, rolling out as a beta through a waitlist in iOS 27, promises richer answers, personal context search through messages and notes, and onscreen awareness. Despite these upgrades, users on social media report recurring problems including network errors that produce a vague 'Sorry, something went wrong' message and failures to locate reminders, lists or alarms that the older Siri handled without issue.
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