Apple has clarified that its new Texture and Grain adjustments in Photographic Styles, introduced alongside the iPhone 18 lineup, can only be applied to photos captured with iPhone 18 Pro models and iPhone Duo's Ultra Wide, Main, and Center Stage cameras. Earlier press materials had implied broader availability on older devices like the iPhone 16 and iPhone Air, but Apple has since revised those statements to specify the narrower scope. A Reddit user confirmed the limitation, showing the controls only worked on an iPhone 16 Pro Max when editing sample photos taken with an iPhone 18 Pro.
theverge.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
PITAKA has released a new case collection for the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and Duo, including the Edge, Cairn, and Summa models, all starting at $59.99. The lineup uses the company's woven aramid fiber construction alongside a new Mammoth Resin material that PITAKA claims boosts drop protection by 80% over the prior generation. 9to5Mac readers can get 10% off through October 9 using a promo code.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-22
Apple deployed 14 iPhone 18 Pro Max devices among 30 total cameras to capture Friday's Apple TV Plus broadcast of the Dodgers versus Giants game at Dodger Stadium, marking the first live sports broadcast using the new iPhones without dedicated sports lenses. The phones were mounted on tripods, tucked into padded cushions near home plate and the backstop, and placed in dugouts, bullpens, and on a gimbal above the outfield wall.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-22
INIU has released the SnapGo, a compact 10,000mAh portable battery that supports the Qi2.2 wireless charging standard and attaches magnetically to iPhones via MagSafe. The company positions it as capable of charging both smartphones and laptops without cables while on the move.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-22
9to5Mac's daily podcast covered the latest news roundup, including continued speculation about the iPhone 18 Pro and details emerging about iOS 27.2. The episode is available across major podcast platforms and via the site's RSS feed.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-21
Testing by Bilibili channel Homolab found that the 1TB iPhone 18 Pro Max, which uses QLC NAND, suffers major performance drops compared to the 512GB TLC-based iPhone 18 Pro. Once its SLC and secondary TLC caches are exhausted, sustained writes fall to about 79.4 MB/s and can dip as low as 25.6 MB/s, worsening to just 1.1 MB/s once the drive is 60% full.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-09-21
Apple's official refurbished store is now selling the entry-level 2026 Studio Display with a Tilt-adjustable stand for $1,359, down $240 from its $1,599 list price, though supplies appear limited. The deal arrives alongside other launch-week discounts, including AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off timed to iPhone 18 Pro delivery day, early markdowns on the new Apple Watch Ultra 4 and M6 Mac mini, and a $50 discount on the upcoming 2026 Mac Studio ahead of its release.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-21
Some iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max users are reporting that their phones freeze and reboot when a Face ID scan fails while unlocking app-level protections like Passwords or private Safari tabs. 9to5Mac says it reproduced the issue on a European unit, though the bug doesn't appear to affect every device or trigger from the standard lock screen.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-21
iFixit tore down Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro and awarded it a 7/10 repairability rating, matching the iPhone 17 Pro's score. The teardown found the camera and battery assemblies relatively easy to remove, though the phone's new variable aperture lens—its first in an iPhone—uses tiny rotating blades that iFixit says are nearly impossible to repair individually.
wired.com
· 2026-09-21
Reports suggest Apple's next major iPhone Pro overhaul, timed to the device's 20th anniversary, will bring more dramatic design changes than the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro lineup. The rumored foldable iPhone Duo is expected to arrive first, but industry chatter points to the following year's Pro model as the more significant leap.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-21
iFixit tore down Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to examine the variable aperture camera, which uses six overlapping blades roughly as thin as a human hair. The team called the mechanism a precision engineering feat but warned it leaves almost no margin for error during repairs, likely requiring full module replacement if damaged.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-21
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