Apple CEO Tim Cook today confirmed that today's call was his last as CEO, with John Ternus set to become Apple's new CEO on September 1. Cook will transition to a new role as executive chairman when Ternus becomes CEO.
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of you, from our shareholders, particularly our long-term shareholders who have put their trust in us for so many years, to the analysts who have followed our company so closely. As you know, this will be my final earnings call, and John will lead these calls going forward.
Cook said the transition to Ternus is "going seamlessly," and he is excited for Ternus to lead Apple into its next era.
As I've said, I couldn't be more confident in his leadership, in our executive team, and in the extraordinary people at Apple who are determined to enrich the lives of our users all over the world. We have a bright future ahead, and I truly have never been more optimistic.
While Cook is stepping down as Apple's CEO, he said earlier this year that he plans to serve as executive chairman "for a long time." He said Apple will continue to be his top priority.
Apple is expecting supply constraints to have a much bigger impact on revenue during the September quarter, Apple CEO Tim Cook said today during Apple's earnings call for the third quarter of 2026.
Supply constraints will impact the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Cook said Apple is seeing less flexibility in the supply chain than normal and an issue with the availability of the advanced nodes that Apple's chips are produced on.
We continue to expect high levels of demand. However, with less flexibility in the supply chain, we expect the impact from the supply constraints to increase significantly sequentially.
He said the cause is not a regular supply issue, but a demand forecast issue. The iPhone and Mac are doing "remarkably better" than Apple expected.
Let me stress again. This isn't a partner or supplier issue... It's an incredibly strong iPhone and Mac product cycle that has really yielded a demand beyond our expectation.
Cook also commented on memory shortages. He said Apple paid more for memory in the June quarter than the March quarter, and the company expects to pay even higher memory costs in the September quarter. He said Apple will be able to partially offset the increased costs in two ways, but memory will continue to be problematic.
The first is, as you would expect, we have benefited from some carry-in inventory in the September quarter. However, we believe we will see decreasing benefit of this over time beyond the September quarter. The second is we're expecting lower cost on certain non-memory components. Then if you look beyond September, we see the market pricing for memory continuing to increase and have an increasing impact on our business. [...] The DRAM market has three suppliers. Obviously, if there were more suppliers, that would be good, and it would help us on the supply side and perhaps the pricing side. It's unclear on the pricing side, but it could help on the supply side. And so we're evaluating all options.
Apple is planning to release new iPhone models in September, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone.
Apple today announced financial results for its third fiscal quarter of 2026, which corresponds to the second calendar quarter of the year.
For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $109.4 billion and net quarterly profit of $29.8 billion, or $2.02 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $94.0 billion and net quarterly profit of $23.4 billion, or $1.57 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter.
Apple set new June quarter records for total revenue and earnings per share, as well as for iPhone, Mac, and Services revenue.
Gross margin for the quarter was 50.1 percent, compared to 46.5 percent in the year-ago quarter. Apple also declared a quarterly dividend payment of $0.27 per share, payable on August 13 to shareholders of record as of August 10.
"Today, Apple is proud to report our strongest June quarter ever, with double-digit revenue growth across iPhone, Mac and Services, and in every geographic segment," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "At WWDC26, we were thrilled to introduce the all-new Siri AI, alongside all of Apple's latest software innovations and important new child safety features."
Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q3 2026 financial results conference call at 2:00 p.m. Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.
Epic Gamestoday said that the Epic Games Store can now be downloaded on iPhones in Brazil through the Epic Games website. In its announcement, Epic Games complained about the third-party store installation process, which requires nine steps and includes screens warning customers about downloading apps outside of the App Store.
Apple is imposing a 9-step install flow for alternative app stores in Brazil. The additional screens were designed to deter users from downloading alternative app stores and preventing competition. In the EU last year, Apple reduced their installation flow from 15 to 6 steps after facing regulatory pressure. After they made this change, Epic saw a 60% decrease in player drop-off during attempts to install the Epic Games Store. But Apple now has increased the steps in Brazil to thwart competition.
Epic Games also took issue with the fees Apple is able to collect. Apple has a 5% Core Technology Commission on sales of digital goods and services in third-party app stores and apps installed from third-party app stores. Because of the fees, Epic says it is only offering its own games for now. Players can download Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe.
Brazilian customers who opt to purchase Fortnite through the Epic Games Store can get 20 percent back in Epic Rewards, an incentivizing bonus not available through the App Store version of Fortnite in Brazil.
Epic Games says it has informed Brazilian regulators "how detrimental the requirements and restrictions are to creating a competitive mobile app ecosystem on iOS."
Apple changed its App Store rules in Brazil in June to comply with regulatory action requiring support for alternative app marketplaces.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer has teamed up with several of his Senate colleagues to demand Apple commit to not purchasing chips from Chinese companies ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) or Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC). [PDF]
With memory shortages causing Apple to raise the prices of Macs and iPads, the company has been talking with CXMT and YMTC about a chip deal. The two companies are on the Defense Department's list of Chinese companies that are suspected to have ties to the People's Liberation Army. Apple is not required to get U.S. approval before buying chips from CXMT, but YMTC is also on the Commerce Department's Entity List, which means Apple would need an export license before being able to work with the company.
Apple has been lobbying the Trump administration to greenlight its plan to buy Chinese chips, and Apple also wants to ensure the government won't add CXMT to the Entity List in the future.
Schumer wants Apple to pledge not to use chips from CXMT or YMTC in any Apple product sold anywhere in the world. He says Apple's plan would harm the U.S. semiconductor supply chain and set a dangerous precedent for other companies to follow.
Rumors have suggested Apple is already testing chips from CXMT, and Schumer has also asked Apple to answer questions about the reported testing and the company's efforts to lobby the Trump administration to prevent national security restrictions on Chinese semiconductor suppliers.
Fueled by investment from my Chips & Science Law, workers in Central New York and across the country are carrying out the largest domestic expansion of domestic memory chip production in a generation, and American companies, like Apple, should be buying chips stamped 'Made in America,' not from companies linked to the Chinese military. I wrote my CHIPS & Science Law, so we would make American microchips again, with American workers, and not be over-reliant on semiconductors from overseas. That's why I'm leading a bipartisan group of senators calling on Apple CEO Tim Cook to commit to not using memory chips produced by Chinese military-linked companies. I've long sounded the alarm on the grave national security and economic threats posed by YMTC, CXMT, and other companies backed by the Chinese Communist Party. Apple integrating these Chinese chips into its supply chain would send a dangerous message to other American companies that they, too, should turn to Chinese-made chips.
Apple has told lawmakers that it will use the chips in devices for the Chinese market, leaving more Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron chips available for products sold in countries like the U.S. Schumer claims the limitation "cannot be expected to hold" because Apple could extend the chips worldwide with a "single procurement decision." Schumer also said supplying chips to Apple would give CXMT "revenue and reputational gains" regardless of where the chips were used.
Back in 2022, Apple attempted to ink a deal to purchase chips from YMTC, but Schumer led an effort to stop the agreement and to add YMTC to the Entity List. Schumer has also been pushing for CXMT to be added to the list, which is the action Apple is aiming to stop. Schumer has asked Apple to respond to his letter by August 21, 2026.
Other senators who signed the letter are Jim Banks, Mike Crapo, Jeanne Shaheen, Andy Kim, James Risch, and Pete Ricketts.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
The FCC this week banned all new "foreign-produced advanced robotic devices" because of an "unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States." The government says networked robotic systems lead to vulnerabilities that allow bad actors to control the devices and collect surveillance data from Americans.
Advanced robotic devices are defined as software-controlled autonomous robots that can move, navigate obstacles, and have a sensor that can perceive the environment.
The ban isn't focused on just humanoid robots, and it includes robot vacuum cleaners too. Almost all robot vacuums are sold by companies located in China or are manufactured in China. Even Roomba maker iRobot, once a flagship American vacuum company, is now owned by a Chinese company after bankruptcy.
Companies are able to keep importing and selling robot vacuums already on the market, but new models will need to get approval from the government. As The Verge notes, getting approval requires a commitment to invest in U.S. manufacturing, but no investigation into security practices despite multiple mentions of national security concerns.
Future Matter-enabled smart vacuums that work with HomeKit from companies like Roborock and Ecovacs may not be able to be sold in the U.S., leaving few options for U.S. consumers unless the companies pledge to move manufacturing to the United States.
Along with robot vacuums, the FCC has banned new humanoid and quadruped robots, plus foreign-made power inverters.
Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
Apple CEO Tim Cook today said Apple would be making a donation to support earthquake relief efforts in Japan.
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake (per the USGS) hit the Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island on Tuesday, collapsing buildings and killing at least 34 people.
Japan has a very special place in my heart. We're thinking of everyone as they continue to face the effects of the Kumamoto earthquake and aftershocks. We're grateful to the first responders helping those in need. Apple is making a donation to support relief efforts.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) July 30, 2026
Aftershocks continued on Wednesday and Thursday. Kyushu is the third largest of Japan's four main islands, and it has the second-highest population.
Apple often donates to the Red Cross for relief efforts during natural disasters, but donation amounts are not shared. Last night, Cook said Apple was donating to wildfire relief efforts in France, Spain, and other countries.
Kumamoto was previously hit with a deadly earthquake in 2016, and Apple collected donations for Japan through iTunes.
Spotify today announced a new Running Mode that turns playlists into structured running sessions built around workout type, tempo, and listening habits. It's launching on iOS first.
Located in the app's Fitness Hub, the feature lets runners choose from 25 presets that can be tweaked to fit workout type (interval, steady, or pyramid, for example), with options for duration, beats per minute, and the preferred kind of music. Spotify then matches track selection to the chosen tempo and moves through songs as the session progresses.
Optional audio cues can be enabled to guide users through their run, although these are English-only for now.
Spotify suggests the feature grew out of its fitness-based "Prompted Playlists," a natural-language playlist feature that has seen a lot of fitness prompts directed its way.
Running Mode sits alongside the fitness content Spotify added in April, when it began featuring Peloton classes and creator workout videos in the app.
Strava discontinued its in-app Spotify integration late last month, and removed the music controls that had lived in Strava's workout display since 2023, so Spotify's new mode could be a timely salve for runners who want to keep listening.
Spotify says the new Running Mode is available to premium subscribers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden, starting today.
Apple's AirTag 2 is available for the all-time low price of $89.00 this week, down from $99.00. This sale is on the 4-Pack of the AirTag 2, and it's a match of the record low price first seen during Prime Day.
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.
We're also tracking a smaller deal on the AirTag 2 1-Pack, available for $27.00, down from $29.00. This one has been down to a slightly lower price in previous weeks, but it's one of the best deals around right now for anyone shopping for the new AirTag model.
The new AirTag is equipped with a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, enabling the Precision Finding feature to work up to 50% farther away from an item compared to the previous-generation model.
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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Tim Cook will participate in his final Apple earnings call as the company's CEO today. The call begins at 2 p.m. Pacific Time / 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
Cook and CFO Kevan Parekh will discuss Apple's earnings results for the second quarter of the 2026 calendar year on the live-streamed conference call. While the call is primarily intended for Apple shareholders and Wall Street analysts, anyone can listen live for free on Apple's Investor Relations website, with no registration required.
The call should last around one hour. Cook and Parekh will read their prepared remarks, and then they will take questions from analysts.
If you miss the call, a recording will be available for replay on the page later in the day.
Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus is taking over as CEO on September 1, so Cook will no longer be CEO when the next earnings call occurs.
In a post on Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple will be donating to relief efforts on the ground in Europe following devastating wildfires in France, Spain, Greece, and other countries.
Apple has donated to the Red Cross for relief efforts in the past — it does not disclose the amounts.
For the better part of two decades, an iPhone's alarm volume has matched its ringer. In other words, if you slide the ringtone volume down to silence your iPhone overnight, you're also turning your alarm's volume down with it. That's no longer the case in iOS 27.
Settings now includes an "Alarms and Timers" section with its own Match Ringtone Volume toggle. If you toggle it off, a dedicated slider appears that allows you to drop the ringer volume to nothing, and you'll still be woken at whatever alarm volume you choose.
How to Set a Separate Alarm Volume
Open Settings on your iPhone.
Tap Sounds & Haptics.
Under "Alarms and Timers," toggle off Match Ringtone Volume.
Drag the slider that appears to set your alarm and timer volume.
That's all there is to it. Alarms and timers now have their own level, regardless of how quiet or loud your iPhone's ringer is set at.
Bear in mind that alarms carrying their own volume control – like any wake-up alarm you have selected in your Sleep schedule – will keep the level you set for them individually. To go back to the old behavior, simply toggle Match Ringtone Volume back on, and the slider will disappear.
A Second Toggle for Alerts and System Sounds
You may notice that directly below the "Alarms and Timers" controls sits a second Match Ringtone Volume switch in a separate section. This covers alerts and system sounds, like incoming texts, keyboard clicks, and suchlike. Toggle off this setting and you'll get a similar independent slider. It's a neat fix if, say, you've ever wanted a loud ringer without a loud keyboard.
iOS 27 is currently available in public beta and is expected to be generally available this coming September.
July is nearly over, meaning that Apple's annual iPhone event is fast approaching. Below, we look back at when Apple typically announces iPhone events.
This September, Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and an all-new foldable iPhone that will reportedly be named the iPhone Ultra. The regular iPhone 18, a lower-end iPhone 18e, and the iPhone Air 2 are not expected to be announced until around March 2027, as part of a new split-up launch strategy.
We are still waiting for Apple to announce the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra event. In his newsletter last month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said September 8 or September 9 are the most likely dates for the event. If that proves to be accurate, then the most likely dates for Apple to announce the event would be Tuesday, August 25 or Wednesday, August 26, as the company typically provides two weeks' notice.
Since 2020, iPhone event videos have been pre-recorded, but in recent years Apple has invited select reporters to the Steve Jobs Theater to watch the video in person. Afterwards, attendees receive hands-on time with the new devices.
The table below provides an overview of dates for the last six iPhone events, with 2020 and 2021 being outliers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you've never been a fan of Liquid Glass – Apple's glass-like interface effect introduced in iOS 26 – then there's some good news in iOS 27. Apple has added a setting that lets you finely adjust the level of translucency, giving you more control over the look and feel of your iPhone.
Perhaps you find notifications too see-through, or you want to see more of your wallpaper through Control Center. Fortunately, iOS 27 includes a dial that can help with that. Apple has swapped the two-option Clear and Tinted setting for a continuous slider that puts translucency anywhere between barely-there glass and a heavy frost.
The earlier presets arrived in iOS 26.1 and gave you two positions on a spectrum, whereas iOS 27 gives you the whole spectrum. It also locates the control in "Appearance" – a new section in Settings that gathers up interface options previously scattered through Display & Brightness, including Light and Dark mode and text size.
Not only that, Apple has also tweaked the default look, and says that Liquid Glass now diffuses complex content behind it more effectively while drawing a clearer separation between layers.
How to Change the Liquid Glass Effect
When you first install iOS 27, you'll be presented with the slider to change the Liquid Glass effect, but it's good to know how to get to it later if you want to switch up the look.
Open Settings on your iPhone.
Tap Appearance.
Tap Liquid Glass.
Drag the slider left for a clearer, more transparent effect, or right to add tint and opacity.
The midpoint on the slider is Apple's default. The UI preview redraws in real time as you drag it, so you can watch it instead of having to back out of Settings to check. Note that the setting applies across the system, and affects everything from Control Center and Home screen folders to app overlays and Lock Screen notifications.
If the Slider Doesn't Go Far Enough
Even at the tinted end, Apple's interface retains a degree of glassiness. If you're not satisfied with the result, two Accessibility options push it further:
Reduce Transparency strips out nearly all translucency, leaving only flat, solid backgrounds.
Increase Contrast sharpens the boundaries between buttons, text, and whatever sits behind them.
You can find both in Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Display & Text Size.
You'll find that iPadOS 27 also offers these controls in the same place, and the same goes for macOS 27 Golden Gate (albeit in System Settings). All three software updates are in public beta now, with a general release expected in September.
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year, adopting a two-phase rollout starting with the iPhone 18 series. That means the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable iPhone ("iPhone Ultra") will be released in September 2026, followed by the iPhone 18, iPhone Air 2, and iPhone 18e in spring 2027.
Overall Design
iPhone 17 Pro Style
Rumors suggest the iPhone 18 Pro lineup will largely retain the same design as the iPhone 17 Pro models. Most rumors suggest the rear camera system will look identical to the current generation, featuring a raised "plateau" with three lenses arranged in a triangle – although recent dummies indicate a possible thickening of the plateau and the protrusion of individual lenses. Display sizes are also expected to remain unchanged, with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max continuing to use 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch panels, respectively (the same dimensions introduced with the iPhone 16 Pro series). iPhone 18 Pro models could drop the current two-tone look of the rear casing found on the iPhone 17 Pro in favor of a more seamless aesthetic, while Apple has apparently updated the back-glass "replacement process" to minimize the color difference between the Ceramic Shield 2 glass and the aluminum frame, resulting in a more unified appearance. More recently, rumors have suggested that the iPhone 18 Pro Max could be thicker and heavier than its predecessor, suggesting a trade-off behind the device's rumored larger battery.
Next-Level Battery Life
Thicker Chassis
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, based on Chinese regulatory findings. The iPhone 18 Pro is seemingly rated for 4,056mAh in China and 4,288mAh in the U.S., up modestly from the iPhone 17 Pro's 3,988mAh and 4,252mAh. The iPhone 18 Pro Max shows a bigger jump, rated for 5,391mAh in China and 5,567mAh in the U.S., compared with 4,823mAh and 5,088mAh on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, an increase of nearly 500mAh.According to another rumor, the body of the iPhone 18 Pro Max will be slightly thicker than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, raising the device's weight to around 243 grams. That would make the iPhone 18 Pro Max approximately 3 grams more than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which is currently the heaviest model Apple has produced. A larger battery is the most likely cause.
Smaller Dynamic Island
Under-Screen Face ID?
Rumors continue to circulate about whether the iPhone 18 Pro models will introduce under-display Face ID, but reports remain divided on when the technology will actually arrive. The feature would move the TrueDepth camera system beneath the display, eliminating the need for the current Dynamic Island cutout.
According to Wayne Ma of The Information, Apple is targeting a design without a Dynamic Island, replacing it with a single pinhole camera in the upper-left corner of the screen. However, other sources dispute that claim. Display analyst Ross Young believes under-display Face ID is possible for the iPhone 18 Pro, but says a smaller Dynamic Island will still be present. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has echoed this view, reporting that the new models will feature a slimmed-down Dynamic Island rather than removing it entirely. Apple is also said to be testing new camera miniaturization technology to reduce the size of the front-facing camera currently located within the Dynamic Island.
The Weibo leaker "Ice Universe" has claimed the Dynamic Island cutout on the iPhone 18 Pro models will be approximately 35% narrower than it is on the iPhone 17 Pro models. Specifically, they said it will have a width of around 13.5mm, down from around 20.7mm.
Meanwhile, Chinese leaker Instant Digital has offered yet another version of events, saying the Dynamic Island will shrink in size, but that under-display Face ID and camera technology won't debut this year. The latest word on the subject is that Apple is weighing two options for the iPhone 18 Pro's Dynamic Island, and a final decision has yet to be made. One option apparently retains the existing screen mold from the iPhone 17 Pro, while the other introduces a significantly smaller "Mini Dynamic Island" enabled by moving the Face ID receiver and transmitter components beneath the display.
Upgraded Display
LTPO+
The iPhone 18 Pro models will reportedly use LTPO+ display technology, which should be more power efficient than the current LTPO technology in the iPhone 17 series. Such an upgrade could also contribute to longer battery life (see above), since LPTO+ enables finer control of OLED light emission, potentially allowing the display to optimize its operation based on environmental conditions. In other words, it will know better when to up screen brightness or reduce it, depending on surrounding light sources. The panels are reportedly being supplied by Samsung Display and LG Display.
A20 Pro Chip
2nm Process
The iPhone 18 Pro models will use Apple's A20 chip, based on TSMC's 2nm process for power and efficiency improvements. A move to 2nm fabrication increases transistor density, which will enable higher performance. The A20 series is expected to deliver roughly a 15 percent speed gain and about 30 percent better efficiency compared with the A19 series used in Apple's iPhone 17 models.
Apple's A20 chip will be packaged with TSMC's Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) technology, suggesting at least some A20 chips will have RAM integrated directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine, rather than sitting adjacent to the chip and connected via a silicon interposer. This could contribute to faster performance for both overall tasks and Apple Intelligence, and longer battery life from improved power efficiency. In June, an image of the iPhone 18 Pro motherboard leaked online, showing the A20 Pro chip will indeed use the new packaging technology.
C2 Modem
Replacing Qualcomm
It was previously expected that Apple would include its next-generation C2 modem in the iPhone 18 Pro models. The chip would succeed the C1 modem, which debuted in the lower-cost iPhone 16e as Apple's first in-house cellular modem, and the C1X modem chip in the iPhone Air, which Apple says is up to 2× faster than the C1. While the C2 would likely bring faster speeds, improved power efficiency, and support for mmWave 5G in the United States, a recent rumor has questioned its adoption there. It's possible that the iPhone 18 Pro will use different modem chips depending on the market it is sold in, with U.S. models retaining Qualcomm hardware and international models using Apple's in-house C2 modem.
Apple's modem roadmap is part of a long-term strategy to reduce reliance on Qualcomm, which currently supplies 5G modems for the rest of the iPhone lineup. The company has been working on developing its own cellular chips for years, aiming for deeper integration and greater control over power management and performance.
New Camera Sensor
Samsung-Made
Samsung is working on a new three-layer stacked image sensor, reportedly intended for the iPhone 18. The sensor, referred to as PD-TR-Logic, integrates three layers of circuitry, which would improve camera responsiveness, reduce noise, and increase dynamic range. The leak comes from a source known as "Jukanlosreve," who claims the sensor is being developed specifically for Apple's 2026 iPhone lineup. Sony has long been Apple's sole image sensor supplier, so Samsung's entry would be a big shift in the iPhone's camera supply chain.
Variable Aperture
DSLR-Style
Apple intends to equip this year's iPhone 18 Pro models with a variable aperture lens, according to reports. Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station claims the main rear camera – what Apple calls the 48-megapixel Fusion camera – on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, which would be a first for the iPhone. A variable-aperture system physically adjusts the lens opening, letting more light in for low-light shots or narrowing the opening for brighter scenes and deeper depth of field.
The main cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro, 16 Pro, and 17 Pro all use a fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture, where the lens is permanently set to its widest setting. With a variable lens, the iPhone 18 Pro would allow users to manually shift the aperture, similar to on a DSLR camera. This would mean more control over depth of field, enabling sharper focus on subjects or smoother background blur. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in November 2024 that Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models will get the feature.
5G Satellite Internet
Non-Terrestrial Data
According to a report by The Information, Apple plans to add support for 5G networks that operate via satellites rather than Earth-based towers as early as next year. This advancement would allow future iPhones to gain full internet connectivity through satellite, not just limited emergency features.
If Apple meets the 2026 target, the first devices to feature 5G satellite internet would likely be the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the long-rumored foldable iPhone. Apple partners with Globalstar for its iPhone satellite features, but there is currently no service that delivers full 5G satellite internet directly to a smartphone. That said, Amazon and Globalstar announced in April a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire the satellite operator. Amazon's Leo satellite network will power existing iPhone features – with scope for additional feature support as part of a forthcoming infrastructure upgrade.
Simplified Camera Control
New Design
Apple is reportedly working to simplify the Camera Control button's design on iPhone 18 models in order to reduce costs. The current Camera Control button on iPhone 17 models uses both capacitive and pressure sensors beneath a sapphire crystal surface. The capacitive layer detects touch gestures, while the force sensor recognizes different pressure levels for taps, presses, and swipes.
However, according to the Weibo-based account Instant Digital, Apple will remove the capacitive sensing layer and retain only pressure sensing recognition in the second iteration to achieve all Camera Control functions on the iPhone 18. The simplified version is not about reducing functionality in the button, but about saving money. The current solution is said to be very expensive for Apple and is generating costly after-sales repairs.
We don't expect Camera Control to go away anytime soon – Apple apparently sees it as a key feature, so much so that it has reportedly made deliberate engineering compromises to ensure that the first foldable iPhone features the button.
New Colors
Three in Testing
In February 2026, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple is testing a deep red finish for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Rumors of purple and brown finishes have also circulated, but Gurman believes those are just variants of the same red idea. Since then, we've seen aligned rumors that the devices will come in light blue, dark cherry, dark gray, and silver.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were previously available in Deep Purple, and Apple has never released an iPhone in a genuinely brown color. According to a Chinese leaker, Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models won't come in black this year. If the rumor is true, it will be the second consecutive year Apple has ditched what was arguably its most classic color option for the Pro lineup.
iOS 27
Smarter Siri
The iPhone 18 Pro will ship with iOS 27, which brings the biggest Siri shake-up in the assistant's history. Apple introduced Siri AI at WWDC in June – a rebuilt, more conversational version of Siri with onscreen awareness, personal context understanding, and broad world knowledge that lets it pull up-to-date answers from the web. It also gains its own standalone app for revisiting past conversations, an expanded Visual Intelligence mode, and writing tools that work across email, messages, and documents. Like the iPhone 17 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to carry 12GB of RAM, so it should run the full range of Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features.
Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone is expected to arrive in the fall of 2027 with the most significant redesign the device has seen since the iPhone X.
The first iPhone was announced in January 2007 and went on sale that June, meaning the device's 20th anniversary technically falls on June 29, 2027. Apple rarely launches new high-end iPhones outside of its September timeframe, and the anniversary models are still expected to arrive in the fall of that year, just as the iPhone X did in 2017 despite marking the 10th anniversary of a device that launched in June.
The 2027 model has been rumored for well over a year, with reports pointing to an all-glass design, new display technology, and a series of upgrades Apple has been working toward for several generations. Much as the iPhone X set the template for the years of iPhones that followed, the anniversary model is likely to define the device's design direction for some time.
Apple could skip the name "iPhone 19" in the same way it skipped "iPhone 9" ahead of the iPhone X in 2017, with rumors so far variably referring to the device as the "iPhone 20" and the "iPhone XX." Here is everything that has been rumored for the device so far:
Curved all-glass design with edge-to-edge display: Apple is reportedly aiming for a new design with curved glass generously wrapping around the front and back, described by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman as a curved iPhone without cutouts in the display. Facilities in Apple's supply chain have reportedly finished renovations ahead of production, with manufacturing quality said to be around that of the first-generation iPhone Air. The panel is said to curve down around all four edges for a borderless effect, going beyond the curved displays used by other manufacturers. Rather than the aggressively curved "waterfall" edges seen on some Samsung panels, Apple is said to be seeking an equal-depth quad-curved design with very shallow "micro-curves," which could make edge swipes feel more natural and reduce distortion of on-screen content. Bending the display circuitry around every edge reportedly requires an ultra-thin film encapsulation layer to protect the OLED panel from moisture and air, and one leak claims a bezel of 1.1mm, compared to approximately 1.44mm on the iPhone 17 Pro.
More advanced display: Apple is reported to be adopting a Samsung-made panel using Color Filter on Encapsulation, which removes the polarizing film and applies the color filter directly onto the encapsulation layer. The technique reduces the thickness of the display stack and lets more light through, improving brightness while reducing power draw, and the panel is said to be paired with next-generation 16nm display driver chips. Apple is also said to be employing a crater-shaped light diffusion layer designed to even out brightness so the display appears uniformly lit across all areas, including at the curved edges.
Two size options: Unlike the iPhone X, which launched in a single 5.8-inch size, Apple is planning two anniversary models roughly matching the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max at 6.3 and 6.9 inches, although the larger model could be marketed as a 7-inch device owing to its slimmer bezels and all-screen design.
Custom Apple image sensor: Apple is reported to be developing its own stacked image sensor to replace the Sony sensors used across the iPhone lineup, having already built a working prototype. The sensor is said to use LOFIC technology, allowing each pixel to store varying amounts of light and potentially reaching up to 20 stops of dynamic range.
Solid-state haptic buttons: Apple is rumored to be reviving "Project Bongo" to replace the mechanical Side button, volume buttons, Action button, and Camera Control with haptic equivalents integrated into the frame. The buttons have reportedly passed tests for use with gloves, wet hands, extreme temperatures, and with a case fitted. An ultra-low energy microprocessor is claimed to keep the solid-state buttons functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out.
A21 chip: Both anniversary models are expected to use a second-generation 2-nanometer "A21" chip, shared with the second-generation foldable iPhone.
High bandwidth memory: Apple is reported to be considering mobile HBM, a form of DRAM that stacks memory chips vertically and connects them using through-silicon vias to increase signal transmission speeds. Connecting the memory to the iPhone's GPU is said to be a strong candidate for improving on-device AI performance, and Apple has reportedly discussed the plan with memory suppliers Samsung and SK Hynix, both of which expect to begin mass production after 2026.
Apple modem in the United States: Apple is aiming to have modems that outperform Qualcomm's on speed and AI functionality by 2027, following the C1 and C1X used in the iPhone 16e and iPhone Air, and the C2 on the iPhone 18 Pro outside the United States only. With the 20th anniversary iPhone, an Apple-designed modem should come to the high-end devices for the first time in the United States, delivering an efficiency boost for better battery life.
Pure silicon battery: Apple is said to be pairing the new display with pure silicon battery technology for improved power efficiency, which offers higher energy density than conventional lithium-ion cells and could allow greater capacity in the same physical space. One leaker has claimed a 6,000mAh battery could come to the device, though it is unclear where that figure comes from.
Reverse wireless charging, under-display audio that eliminates the earpiece slit, and a next-generation Ceramic Shield have all been mentioned by one leaker, but it is unknown whether these claims are based on supply chain information.
With the device still more than a year away, the final 20th anniversary iPhone could still change considerably from the current picture provided by rumors. A two-stage rollout has been reported for the curved panel itself, with the 2027 implementation said to introduce some distortion and brightness loss at the edges before a more advanced version follows in 2028.
Apple is expected to launch the 20th anniversary iPhone in the fall of 2027 alongside a second-generation foldable iPhone, following the iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 in the spring.
Qualcomm expects its Apple revenue to decline faster than it previously anticipated, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told Reuters in an interview following the company's earnings call for the third fiscal quarter of 2026.
Amon chalked up the loss to supply constraints, which will reduce the share of Qualcomm components used in the next iPhone launch well below its earlier 20 percent estimate. Qualcomm expects the drop in Apple revenue to start in the fourth quarter.
Qualcomm is raising its prices starting September 1 to improve its margin because of increasing costs across the supply chain. "We're just passing through big cost increases that we have," said Amon.
In fiscal 2027, Qualcomm is expecting most of its chip sales to come from categories other than smartphones, and growth in its data center business will replace the Apple-related revenue it collected in fiscal 2026.
Apple developed its own modem chips, which have been used in the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air. Rumors suggest Apple could transition to using more of its own chips starting with the iPhone 18 lineup. Apple is working on a C2 modem chip rumored to deliver faster speeds and better power efficiency than Qualcomm modems.
Apple and Qualcomm have a patent licensing agreement that lasts through March 2027, and it is not clear if Apple will extend it again or move to using its own modem chips across its entire product lineup.
Apple said new UK App Store rules would give regulators a "highly intrusive" role dictating how it runs its business, reports Reuters. Apple submitted feedback to the UK's Competition and Markets Authority as it considers forcing Apple to change its App Store rules around steering.
The CMA wants Apple to let developers link to payment options outside of the App Store, which the CMA says will cut fees and boost competition. Developers in the UK are not currently able to direct customers outside of the App Store, even though that's allowed with the current U.S. App Store rules and the EU App Store rules.
UK regulators said Apple can charge developers a fee, but it must be fair and reasonable, and below existing App Store commissions, so developers can pass savings to customers or reinvest them in innovation.
According to Apple, the CMA's proposed rules would undermine innovation and investment, and would amount to price regulation because of the restriction on fees. Apple claims there is no evidence that allowing developers to direct users to purchase options outside the App Store would result in savings for customers. Apple said the App Store facilitated over £46.5 billion in UK billings and sales in 2025, and commissions accounted for less than 3.5 percent of the total.
The CMA denied that its proposal is price regulation. "Our consultation proposes principles to ensure that the fees Apple and Google charge for steering are fair and reasonable, not to directly set prices," a CMA spokesperson told Reuters.
The CMA is assessing feedback before making a final decision on the proposal. The changes are also applicable to Google, as both Apple and Google were designated with strategic market status (SMS) in the UK last year. Under the designation, the CMA can impose requirements meant to open up the platforms to greater competition.
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Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
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