Apple's newest lineup—iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5—hit store shelves and retailers worldwide today. CEO John Ternus marked the occasion by opening Apple's Fifth Avenue flagship in New York alongside retail chief Deirdre O'Brien and marketing head Greg Joswiak. Online orders for the new iPhones face multi-week delays, though in-store pickup is available in many locations.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-18
Apple's iOS 27 update brings a major Apple Intelligence overhaul, including a much-improved Siri, but some newer iPhones now need up to 14GB of free storage for full AI functionality, compared to 8GB previously. This higher requirement applies specifically to iPhone 17 Pro, Pro Max, Air, Duo, and 18 Pro models, while other iPhones still only need 8GB.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-18
Alongside launching the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, and AirPods 5, Apple has rolled out its complete range of first-party accessories. This includes multiple Silicone and TechWoven case options with MagSafe support in various colors for both new iPhone models, priced at $49 and $59 respectively.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-18
An Android Authority writer got hands-on time with Apple's newly unveiled iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone, arriving over seven years after Android rivals entered the category. Despite weighing 254g—heavier than the iPhone 18 Pro Max—the device felt dense but well-balanced in hand rather than unwieldy, standing in contrast to the lighter, 201g Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-18
Ahead of the iPhone Duo's October launch, several early hands-on videos from creators like Flourish Planner, Rich DeMuro, and GadgetMatch have surfaced showing the foldable device's software features. These clips demonstrate one-handed typing on the exterior display, a split keyboard mode in horizontal orientation, iPad-like landscape layouts for multitasking, book-reading with page-flip animations, and camera capabilities.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-18
The Vergecast's David Imel and Allison Johnson examined Apple's iPhone 18 Pro camera system, highlighting its new variable aperture main lens designed for better low-light and depth-of-field control. They concluded that the camera app's manual controls, revamped imaging pipeline, and improved ProRAW support are proving more practically useful day-to-day than the aperture hardware itself.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-18
Following Apple's unveiling of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo, Samsung's social media team launched a mocking campaign, calling the device 'so far, so same' and joking about 'reheated leftovers.' Samsung, which released the first mainstream foldable phone in 2019 and has since shipped around 20 models, is leaning on its years of foldable experience to needle Apple's late entry. Duolingo's owl mascot also joined in, joking about the 'Duo' name, while Apple executive John Ternus defended the device as an 'entirely new design' rather than 'two phones awkwardly stuck together.'
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-18
An Android Authority columnist reports buying his 14th iPhone, the iPhone 18 Pro, and argues that Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL have largely closed the technical gap with Apple's devices. Despite that parity, he says Apple still draws outsized attention and loyalty because of how it markets and narrates its products rather than through superior specs.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-09-18
A newly launched web simulator invites users to try their hand at designing a hypothetical next-generation iPhone, offering a playful interface for experimenting with device concepts. The tool is aimed at Apple fans who want to sketch out features and aesthetics without any real engineering constraints.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-18
WhatsApp is officially rolling out a new search button within individual chats, groups, and channels on iOS after weeks of beta testing. The button appears at the top of the screen when users scroll up through a conversation and disappears when they return to the bottom, letting them search messages without leaving the chat.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-18
Meta AI has released Muse, a personified AI agent app for iPhone, with a companion Mac app added nine days later and web access at muse.ai. Users can customize the agent's name and avatar, and while the app is free with weekly usage limits, paying subscribers get expanded access. The Mac version can work across apps, files, calendar, notes, and messages, with user-controlled permissions.
9to5mac.com
· 2026-09-17
Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro launches at $1,199, a $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro, adding a variable aperture camera system for photographers. Google's Pixel 11 Pro also rose $100 to $1,099, gaining a larger 48-megapixel telephoto sensor with 30x optical-style zoom and a 120x AI-enhanced Pro Zoom mode. Beyond cameras, the two phones diverge sharply in design, colors and software, running iOS 27 and Android 17 respectively.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-17