A cost comparison examines whether leasing a new iPhone annually or buying and trading it in is cheaper for people who upgrade every year. Using Apple's current trade-in offers as a proxy for next year's values, buying and trading an iPhone 18 Pro would cost about $414 net versus $600 for a 12-month lease, saving roughly $186. The analysis also lists the trade-in value each model would need to hit for buying to beat leasing, based on today's Apple trade-in rates.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-28
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro is expected to largely follow the design language used since the iPhone X in 2017, with incremental yearly changes. Reports suggest that next year's 20th-anniversary iPhone will introduce a significant redesign, potentially moving toward a single-slab-of-glass design, though it remains unclear whether this will be a standalone model or the next Pro flagship.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-28
An Android Authority writer who used the iPhone 17 for nearly a year switched to the Pixel 11 as their main phone for over a month and compared the two. They highlight the Pixel 11's 10.8MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, a feature the iPhone 17 lacks, as the standout advantage, praising its detail, natural colors and low noise, especially in portraits.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-28
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max introduce a variable-aperture 48-megapixel main camera that can switch between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0, unlike the fixed f/1.78 lens on last year's iPhone 17 Pro. The new models also add manual controls for shutter speed and white balance, an on-screen histogram, rear-camera Cinematic mode video up to 4K/60fps, and a feature called Apple Reference Image that stores sensor-signed RAW data alongside processed photos. Ultra Wide and Telephoto camera specs remain unchanged from the prior generation.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-26
Apple's Always-On Display keeps a dimmed Lock Screen visible on supported Pro-model iPhones, but some users find it fully turns off instead of staying dimmed. The feature is limited to iPhone 14 Pro and later Pro models plus the iPhone Air, and can be toggled in Settings under Display & Brightness. Several common settings issues can cause it to malfunction, each with a simple fix.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-26
A hands-on review of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro finds the design largely unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro, with the main additions being a variable aperture camera system, a new chip, improved battery life and better thermal management that keeps the phone cooler under load. The reviewer notes Apple is reserving bolder design experiments for other models like the iPhone Air and the new iPhone Duo.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-25
A reviewer compared Apple's revamped Clean Up tool and new Extend feature in iOS 27, running on an iPhone 18 Pro Max, against Adobe Photoshop's Firefly-powered Generative Fill and Expand tools. The test used six travel photos shot on an iPhone 17 Pro Max, split evenly between object removal and image extension tasks, with settings kept as consistent as possible across both platforms.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-24
Astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission used Nikon DSLR and mirrorless cameras, GoPro Hero4s for interior and exterior video, and iPhone 17 Pro Max phones to document the flight around the moon. Nikon senior manager Michael Corrado described the certification process required for equipment to fly in space and explained why much of the gear astronauts use is years old.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-24
Apple's iOS 27.2 beta expands FaceTime's Dual Capture feature, which shows a caller's front and rear camera views simultaneously, to Group FaceTime calls. Previously introduced in iOS 27, Dual Capture was limited to one-on-one calls; it requires an iPhone 17 or later, with other participants needing iOS 27, iPadOS 27, or macOS 27 to view the dual streams.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-23
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro shares nearly identical dimensions, weight and 6.3-inch OLED displays with last year's 17 Pro, but adds a variable aperture camera for exposure control, a slightly smaller Dynamic Island supporting three Live Activities, and a redesigned vapor cooling chamber. It costs roughly $100 more than the 17 Pro and drops the orange color option available on the prior model.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-22
A comparison of Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and 17 Pro finds the two devices nearly identical apart from new color options, including a Burgundy shade and a returning black finish. The newer model is slightly heavier and features a smaller Dynamic Island, made possible by an infrared sensor hidden under the display, but otherwise shares the same design and functionality as its predecessor.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-22
Retailers such as Apple, Samsung, Best Buy and GameStop let customers trade in old phones for store credit, discounts, or occasionally cash, offering a fast and hassle-free alternative to selling privately. However, the payout is notably lower than market value—Apple's trade-in program reportedly offers only $585 for a well-maintained iPhone 17 that retails for $899, and most programs pay in credit rather than cash.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-21