The iPhone Duo, Apple's first folding phone, is probably the most significant new phone from Apple since the line divided into Pro and standard models in 2019. The the division was was all about offering a premium camera spec, so it was easy for me – and photography and video creators – to understand the distinction. This time it's very different.

The iPhone Duo is clearly now the top of the tree in pricing and desirability terms, but is it actually the phone that you should want? That's what I've been deciding since mine arrived.

Spoiler: the answer is going to be different depending on your needs. For example, if you like to carry an iPad Mini to review your work, but you do most of your photography on a 'real' camera, you might find there is an advantage – even a cost saving here.

For those who prefer to do their photography on their phones, the compromises (and, believe it or not, advantages) are going to involve weighing more complexity...

Price

The iPhone Duo starts at a shockingly expensive at $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,499 with 256GB storage, rising to $3,199 / £3,199 / AU$5,899 for the maximum 2TB tier. Personally I'd suggest the 512 or 1TB are the way to go.

By comparison a brand new iPhone 18 Pro Max – with a telephoto camera and a variable aperture – comes in at $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,299 for the 256GB tier, and the current (at time of the Duo's launch) mid-tier iPhone, the iPhone 17, is less than half the price of the Duo at $899 / £899 / AU$1,399.

Looking beyond the Apple sphere, the Samsung Galaxy Z-fold, a similarly-sized passport fold from the company, is priced a little lower at $1,899 / £1,699 / A$2,699.

iPhone Duo Specs

iPhone Duo: Build and handling

I've been using iPhones since the start, and it won't surprise you at all that I've found this the most significant change since then. For younger readers the switch to my iPhone, by the way, was a matter of getting used to a touch screen instead of physical buttons, which was a big change! New to me was pinch-zoom and all sorts. Even the 2MP still-only camera felt like a step up from most phones of the day.

As an iPhone user, though, I've not risked switching my main phone account to phone until now. I've tried them, been impressed in some respects, but never enough to switch from iOS.

The upshot is that, by switching, I've got Apple's new version of iOS and the device to experience all at once – and both need to work.

The good news is that, as you'd expect, first impressions are excellent (I don't seem to be one of the unlucky few who had a cracked screen).

The handset itself, when closed, looks a little like a sawn-off hybrid of the iPhone Pro Max (the same kind if width) and the shiny metal edges of the iPhone X generation. Except, of course there are two layers!

If you've seen an iPhone Air you'll know what I mean (and I'll feel good about my suspicion that it was 'just half a folding phone').

As a right-handed user, my thumb sits very naturally on the protruding TouchID scanner. A little lower down is the camera button, while the volume controls move from where your instinctive press is (the left hand side), because that is now the hinge, to the top.

The 4 main apps (task bar?) is on the right, and just above it is room for a new round battery and signal graphic that, er, I'm sure I'll get used to, and, finally, at the top right a round punch hole camera. It's a lot smaller than the notch and looks elegant since Apple have opted for the passport design with rounded corners opposite the hinge.

iPhone Duo's camera features

I knew that the iPhone Duo came with one fewer main camera than I was used to, but there are some other aspects of the camera system which were new to me.

For example, the iPhone Duo lets you open it and use the main 7.6-inch (1878 × 2670 pixel) display to shoot and the outer display will now face your subject. Some, like my wife, love this feature as an opportunity to check their look before I shoot.

The option to fold the camera, put it down, step back and let the AI decide on the perfect moment to grab a shot is actually pretty cool. I tried it with mixed results, though once I realised that if I opened the phone nearly all the way I could rest it on a surface and use the main camera, the Duo Preview and the AI 'Smart Take' to get an idea of what it might capture.

As you may imagine, things like the peace sign help the AI, but the most important thing to do is be sure you're looking at the right lens (with the device at an obtuse angle, you'll have sight lines to both the main cameras and the punch-out selfie camera on the outer display).

iPhone Duo: Main camera performance

The main camera system consists of two 48MP cameras, a main 26mm EFL 'Fusion Lens' with a fixed f/1.6 aperture and hybrid focus pixels, and a 13mm f/2.2 wide angle lens that supports macro.

In so far as there is any telephoto, there is a center crop of the 26mm EFL which digital zoom will extend all the way to 10x zoom (but remember the 10x is only working with 12MP at 2x, and the results were exactly as bad as I anticipated.

The camera does boast optical image stabilization, though, so if you're not looking to shoot subjects at longer distances, and don't need a variable aperture, things should be fine.

For me, I'm coming from an iPhone 17 Pro Max, and I did regularly use the tele lens, but of course there were no variable apertures on any of the three cameras and that never posed an issue for me.

Next are a couple of very telling comparisons between the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the iPhone Duo (swipe between). In essence the A20's extra power might give the iPhone Duo a slight edge when it comes to the computational photography for portraits, but there is nothing that the lack of a 200mm efl lens can do when it comes to telephoto.

iPhone Duo

iPhone 17 Pro Max

Overall, though image quality is impressive where you'd expect it. I don't feel it's a step backward – save for the telephoto – from the generation that impressed me most, and whether the variable aperture really offers much more is open to doubt too.

Video footage I captured also seemed to cope well with complicated lighting conditions and that, in essence, is what iPhones – including it seems the Duo – are good at: color science.

Just as before, this phone makes it easy to pick up and take a photo of the scene you can see, from face to sunset.

That said I found some things frustrated me personally that I'm going to keep testing – the speed that the focus point changed its mind in Cinematic Mode video, for one, was dizzying. It's great to have fast AF, but for a cinema shot you're also likely to want a focal point!

iPhone Duo: Selfie camera performance (outer)

The outer selfie camera is the better of the two selfie cameras, though at 12MP it is still a step down in resolution from both the Pro Max and (perhaps more surprisingly) the iPhone Air!

The pictures I took generally seemed to get color tones about right, though perhaps exaggerated imperfections in skin with a bit too much saturation, and the image sharpening really seems to go to town on my beard and hair in general. Apple's software accentuates skin pigmentation at this resolution for some reason, so if you're proud of your frekles this is your lucky day, but, to be fair, this was also true of the 17 Pro Max.

iPhone Duo: Selfie camera performance (inner)

The 1824 × 2432 pixel inner front camera is, in its way, a technical marvel, seeing as it can 'through' a screen. But the results are, inevitably, not the quality you hope for.

The 4MP pic here is comparable at first glance to the one we shot with the outer camera, but detail isn't as clear (not that I'm especially upset about that given what it did to my skin). Where the inner camera struggles more is when you're indoors – darker environments, pinpricks of light coming from lamps etc. do seem to create a halo effect.

Overall verdict

It's not easy to sum up this device in one go because, for the first time in a while, it isn't a matter of slow perfection and of polish but of compromise. In fact the elegant styling refinements seem to suggest a phone that isn't first generation, but after living with it as my main phone, certainly has some oddities.

Some of those are just the inherent strangeness of changing form factor, so my advice there is to go into that open minded. You're going to need to get used to things you expected to – bigger screens, deciding when to open it and the like – and you're also going to find little niggles that go with that.

The keyboards seem a little more sensitive to me, or less, depending on which way round I'm using the phone and there are a lot of ways to be doing that. If you're using it open you might also rotate it a bit and then be surprised to find the lock button somewhere inconvinient. My personal tip is to make sure you register both the thumb and first fingers with both hands with TouchID as soon as possible.

In my first days of use, I found the cameras very limiting, but a week on I'm already seeing merit in the things you can only do on this. Side-by-side multi-tasking is useful for social promotion, and a bigger matte screen is great (indoors anyway) for browsing photos. The A20 processor blasts through things and at the end of each day I'm always surprised to find a good chunk of battery (generally about 40%) left even if I've been using it a lot.

I can only imagine that a combination of the familiarity that comes with time and taking advantage of unique features will prevail for me, despite the camera compromise, but that's because I'm a tech nerd and I'll see it as an opportunity to use other cameras more often too. At the same time I might get some more pictures of my beautiful wife who is was usually fond of the photos I capture on my iPhone 17 Pro Max, but could definitely be persuaded by the opportunity to use the dual-screen preview.

Is this a great overall camera phone? No. Is it great for portraits? Yes. Is it a brilliant device for a photographer to have with them? Definitely. Ideally all those would be a yes, but it's a great start.

iPhone Duo Alternatives

Apple has launched five new Mac computers – all of which will be of serious interest to video and photo editors.

The most exciting of these is undoubtedly the arrival of the much-anticipated Apple MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display – the first-ever Apple laptops with a touchscreen.

But there are also two new MacBooks and an iMac all-in-one desktop computer that use the new M6 chip, first used on the Mac Mini that was released earlier in the year.

Billing itself as "the world’s best pro laptop" the PROLED XDR Macbook uses tandem OLED technology to offer with up to 2000 nits peak HDR and SDR brightness, an industry-leading 10,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The new Touch facility is said to open up "a whole new dimension for pros to interact with their content, from manipulating 3D models to playing musical instruments onscreen".

The MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR will be available in both 14in and 16in versions with a choice of M5 Max or M5 Pro chips, with options of getting up to 16TB of onboard storage. Weighing 3 or 4lb, the two sizes of laptop provide upto 24 hours of battery life.

Prices start at $2,899 / £2899 for the 14in version and from $4,499 / £4,499 for the 16in.

Two further MacBooks are being released with a non-touchscreen Liquid Retina XDR, the 14in version benefitting from the option of having newest generation of M6 processor. Prices will start at $1,999 / $1,999 for the 14in, whilst the 16in version (which will only be available with M5 Pro or M5 Max chips) will start at $2,999 / £2,999.

The newest version of the iMac will have an integrated 24in 4.5K Retina display and will be available in a choice of seven colors. The M6 chip claims to be up to 12x faster that the iMac M1 that was launched five years ago.

The iMac M6 will go on sale from November 6 from $1,499 / £1,499.

We were expecting some big news from Apple this week – but ahead of anticipated announcement of the first-ever touchscreen Macbook Pro at its "Pro & Tell" event on October 28, we have first been treated to a new version of the popular iPad Mini.

The 8th-generation iPad Mini makes some big changes with its first ever OLED screen, that also slightly bigger than its predessor. The new iPad Mini diagonal width up to 8.5in from the 8.3in display of the 2024 model – using a Super Retina XDR screen instead of the previous generation's Liquid Retina LED.

The screen upgrades promise a brighter, crisper display with the brightness now topping out at 1,200 nits, a big jump from the previous Mini's 500 nits. The refresh rate stays at 60Hz, however, so doesn't get the 120Hz max frequency of the recent iPad Pro M5.

A surprise bonus new feature is that the new model is IP67 water and dust resistant – making it an even better option for those wanting a table that is suited to travel.

Desite the slight boost in screen size, the 2026 iPad Mini is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, measuring 5.33mm thick and weighing in at 254g, compared to 6.35mm and 295g, respectively.

Under the casing, Apple has upgraded the new iPad Mini's chipset to the A20 Pro. We are told that the new chip delivers 4.5x faster AI performance than the previous-gen iPad Mini with its A17 Pro chip, along with 2.7x faster graphics performance and up to 60 percent faster multithreaded performance for everyday tasks like editing photos and working across apps. It also offers support for the P3 wide color gamut for more vivid and accurate imagery.

The OLED iPad Mini starts at $699 / £699 / AU$1,099 for Wi-Fi, or from $849 / £849 / AU$1,349 if you also want a cellular network connection. Pre-orders open on October 28, with shipping starting on November 6.

Check out our guide to the best iPads for photographers

If you were worried you couldn't get an iPhone Duo on launch day because there wasn't enough walk in stock, I've just checked out my local Apple Store and I can tell you there were unreserved devices available for purchase.

• Plenty of unreserved iPhone Duos of all types on the day
• UPDATE: See the store opening launch clap at the end of my insta video...
• UPDATE 2: Check my first impressions in my iPhone Duo hands-on

I strolled up to the store at 6:30, having side-stepped the 'Closed' signs on some of the shopping centre doors. I wasn't the only one: there is an open Starbucks which I casually stopped at too before climbing the two tall escalators (not yet turned on) to reach the Apple Store on the third floor.

I didn't really know what to expect as useful information about non-flagship Apple Stores like this has been hard to find (London has a very fancy store on Regent Street, where any queueing happens outdoors on the street, and the weather here is very, well, British today).

When I did get there, I certainly wasn't the first. Rope lines had been put up to accommodate the queues for pre-orders later in the day, or at least that is what I was told at first by the security staff from the mall.

I asked why there were people hanging out then and they shrugged and said it was for the atmosphere (of a closed shopping center and the happy noise of tiles being polished).

I thought it better to ask them.

What I found was that the Apple Store staff were taking reservations for the additional stock – what I've been calling the 'Walk-in' units – so there was a small but moving queue even though the store wasn't going to open for an hour and a half.

I shrugged and decided I'd join the fun – I've not actually queued for an iPhone since the first one back in 2007 and this queue was only about four people long!

I gave my details and chose the model I wanted – none seemed to be out of stock when I did (though the reason for the line was clearly that as configurations went out of stock people could be encouraged to choose others).

I was told to come back at 11:30 as that was the first pickup slot.

So, in other words, despite the panic, there will be a chance to grab a phone on the day.

If not, though, there is definitely a finite number and supply is still constrained. So you might well still want to look at the pre-order options, especially if you like reliability.

If you like the on-the-day fun, at least (for a few hours in the morning) Apple has kept the possibility of getting a device open.

(It probably still isn't the best iPhone for photography, but at least I'll get to find out!)

We know it's a massively anticipated. We knew it was sold out on pre-order until January. What we didn't know (until today) was just how many iPhone Duos would be available for walk in customers on the launch day October 23.

• iPhone Duo on-the-day queues started 49 hours before opening in New York
• Some pre-orders have had delivery times improved
• Apple have cancelled orders that are 'suspicious' to help meet demand

According to sources from the Apple Store chain, though, stock should have arrived in stores by Tuesday, when the boxes are then opened and audited. (Each store has an allocation for pre-orders and for demo units – the big question is what might be left.)

More than one person on x, including Lexus C, has taken pictures of people queuing outside the stores with more than a night ahead of them and reports that they said they didn't have a pre-order.

Some leakers have definitely been opening the boxes...

The internet is not short of unboxing videos too, so some are definitely on the way!

In terms of Demo units the allocation is expected to be high (which might disappoint people who actually want one). Mark Gurman said that the Fifth Avenue store alone is expected to have 150 units for demo (whether they'll all be out or the hinges mean it's necessary to keep a few spare is not something he comments on!)

Initial orders, incidentally, were sold out in 1 minute according to research by @YCBETA. If, like me, Apple didn't even let you in until 7 minutes past, you'd be bound to be in December! Others who had been waiting on the site were let in immediately, as it if were a lottery.

Nevertheless queues have already been seen forming outside Apple Stores.

Is Apple cancelling orders of the iPhone Duo?

Short answer: Yes. Some customers have reported that their orders have been cancelled online.

Why is the more important question. It seems Apple has decided that ordering more than 2 iPhone Duos (or, according to @techdroider more than any two iPhones in the last 12 months) makes someone a potential scalper and, in order to improve supply for 'genuine' customers, others are being dropped.

Is Apple's cancellation of iPhone Duo orders speeding things up for others?

The only evidence I've seen online is from some (apparently all US-based) customers reporting they have received emails with better delivery times from Apple, headed "There's been a change to your order".

Other than the country, I've not seen any very consistent evidence; one husband and wife reported that one of their orders had been improved but not the other!

We examined iPhone Duo availability before the 'store unboxings' – we'll keep you posted on changes.

The Apple iPhone Duo – the company's first folding phone – has proven an exciting new form factor for potential customers, with buyers the world over reporting 'Sold out' or very delayed shipping dates on social platforms even when attempting to pre-order within the first moments.

• iPhone Duo ship dates via Apple's pre-order slipped to January across world
• It may still be possible to queue IRL at an Apple Store (traditionally, store stock has been allocated separately)
• Retail availability (and lucky first shipments) due October 23

If you're looking for a solution, that's understandable – the question is what it is, and whether there will be one at all.

(Article Updated Oct 20)

Can I get an iPhone Duo on October 23?

Can I get an iPhone Duo on October 23 at an Apple Store if I don't have a pre-order?

Traditionally Apple have kept some products back to be bought by customers on the launch day, but on this occasion some Apple staff have indicated, via rumor sites, that they have been told to discourage customers without pre-orders from coming into the store on October 23.

I tried pre-ordering the phone online, and very briefly the 2TB black model (outside my budget and not the color I wanted) appeared for store pickup on launch day once I was finally allowed in, but it disappeared almost immediately.

Online, if you have a pre-order, Apple's store tells customers to check for pre-order availability the day after – October 24.

What IS going on at Apple?

What IS going on at Apple? Is this launch chaos?

It seems that there is a "constrained launch". Bloomberg's Apple Rumors expert Mark Gurman hinted as much before the launch.

In mid September news of really bad yields circulated via Jiemian, suggesting about 60% of the phones were being successfully made, putting Apple a year behind where they'd want to be, and the bad news had been flowing since early September.

As a journalist, I have to acknowledge that this is impeccable marketing. Just a few days ago people weren't even sure Apple could generate demand for a device this costly.

Now the world seems to agree that the company made a major mistake by launching without enough phones to meet demand. The problem is likely that some relatively late changes effectively meant starting again.

What if you ask in an Apple Store now?

On my way back from work today I popped into the Regent Street Apple Store in London – a classic location for queueing photos on launch day.

I asked one of the geniuses – who didn't want to be named – whether there would be any stock, and they said they would check both order for home and store pick up for me – when they both came back as January he said "Yikes!"

Is there any reason to have hope there will be unallocated stock?

Actually yes – just because some Apple stores are discouraging customers doesn't mean they all know exactly what is happening. As of yesterday (as I type), Apple Stores didn't actually know how many iPhone Duo units they would recieve, or how many would be allocated for pre-order collection.

It is likely that some locations (possibly major stores – London, New York etc.) have had messages directly from Apple HQ. Others simply don't know yet.

It is probably worth noting, however, that Apple was very keen to talk about customers "experiencing" the device in stores, rather than actually buying them.

Are other suggestions?

Try to buy again on October 24

A "Former Apple Park employee" has suggested to the internet a solution is that "Replenishment varies by location, but you won’t have to wait until next year. After launch day, add your Duo to the cart to check nearby availability for same or next day pickup."

In other words, try again and perhaps the pre-order will work on the 24th and after, at which point the stock system will have been updated.

It's not impossible – devices could get to stores or online retailers faster than Apple is currently anticipating. (Stock updates will not only be affected by increased manufacturing – some people might re-think their spend in the time Apple is giving them).

Xfinity

Xfinity mobile still had stock of the 256GB model for consumers prepared to sign up for their home internet (in the US).

Carriers

A word of caution – some carriers have pretty optimistic dates (EE in the UK suggests 28 days – but to be specific "More than 28 days"), and Vodafone also has some dates slightly earlier than January 25 (but still in 2027).

These may have as much to do with the carrier's software for measuring supply chains.

One more thing...

Apple is known for under-promising and over-delivering in this kind of scenario.

It might not be as much as hoped, but a sensible strategy – that will guarantee you the version you want – might still be to pre-order soon through one of the deals below, and trust that, as has happened before, Apple's estimated delivery dates improve.

Do check the live deals below or, of course, don't forget that the iPhone Duo is very unlikely to unseat the iPhone 18 Pro Max from top spot as the best iPhone for photography.

Live deals

As the Mac Pro is still missing in action, the Studio sits at the top of Apple’s desktop computer range. It’s the same dumpy aluminium box it’s always been, but with an M5 Max inside, it becomes one of the most potent photo- and video-editing computers you can buy.

The only issue with it is its cost, as you add extras, particularly RAM, the price goes up and up, though the entry-level 36GB allocation should be generous enough for many tasks.

Specification

Price and Availability

The Mac Studio is available directly from Apple, and with the M5 Max processor starts at £2,499 or $2,499, which nets you an 18-core CPU and a 32-core GPU, 36GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The model reviewed here, with a couple of extra GPU cores and much more RAM and storage, is £6,899 or $6,899. There is also an M5 Ultra, which is literally two M5 Max chips joined together, that starts from £5,499 and comes with 96GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. This model is also heavier, as the extra processing cores require a larger cooling system.

Design

The Mac Studio hasn’t changed the way it looks for many years, and there's really no need to. If you’re used to desktop PCs, it’s really small, though still larger than mini PCs or Apple’s own Mac Mini. It’s compact enough to sit under monitors or be tucked away in corners, and the cooling fan, which will come on when it’s working hard, is quiet enough that it doesn’t draw too much attention to itself.

Unlike the Mac Mini, the Studio’s power button is easily accessible at the back, and there are plenty of front and back USB ports, including some incredibly fast Thunderbolt 5s, for peripherals, an SD card slot, 10-gigabit Ethernet for networking and a full-size HDMI for your monitor. With the latest versions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on board too, it’s well equipped to connect to just about anything.

It’s also very well built. While it’s only about as heavy as an 18-inch laptop, it feels densely packed and the aluminium enclosure gives it a sense of solidity. The Mac Studio name is inscribed underneath, where you can’t easily see it, and there's an Apple logo on the top, but there's no indication as to which processor is inside or what any aspect of the spec is. One thing that stands out is the single LED that tells you whether the Mac is switched on, something that can be hard to ascertain if the screen isn’t active.

Otherwise, it’s not a computer design that can be upgraded after you’ve bought it, which means your choices on the build-to-order page matter. You can add more storage via Thunderbolt or USB, but you’re not going to be able to slip in more RAM in the same way you might with a desktop PC in a tower case.

Performance

The M5 has always been a good chip to build a Mac around, as the MacBook Pro and Air that share the same processor show. Beefing it up with extra processing cores doesn’t make it any faster at single-core tasks, but if a job can be split up into chunks and run on multiple cores simultaneously, then the more you have, the faster it can be.

The Mac Studio also has the advantage of having more space inside it than a laptop, and so its cooling system can be more efficient. In tests, the Studio’s M5 beats the laptop versions by a small amount in single-core tests, even besting the M5 MAx version of the MacBook Pro. It’s in the tasks that allow it to flex all its cores, especially the GPU’s, that it does its best work. Batch exporting in Lightroom, or just generating previews from a folder full of raw image files, becomes faster the more cores you can throw at it, while AI denoising is speeded up by the GPU and Neural Engine, though still isn’t quite as fast as on a PC with a top-end Nvidia or AMD graphics card - 60MP raw files can still take a while to get through.

The M5’s hardware-accelerated encoding engine means exporting or transcoding video is speedy, while the high single-core performance means timeline-scrubbing doesn’t show much lag. The high memory bandwidth sees the chip process even 8K video smoothly (helped no doubt by the 128GB of RAM in the version sent to us for review).

Apple is going very big on AI at the moment, and the M5 is the first generation of its processors to include neural accelerators in the GPU cores as well as in the Neural Engine. While less powerful than an Nvidia GeForce 5070Ti desktop card in AI benchmarks, the M5 Max nonetheless manages to leave many laptop GPUs (mostly other Nvidia chips, but including the AMD Ryzen AI Max in the Asus ProArt PX13 GoPro Edition) behind it. This means neural filters in Photoshop and locally run AI agents and LLMs will get a boost, but once again you’ll need to splash out on extra RAM if you’re experimenting with local AI.

Verdict

The Apple Mac Studio with M5 Max is an ideal desktop machine for photo and video editing, and it’s not even the best computer Apple produces (that would be the Studio with M5 Ultra). It may be expensive, especially compared to a desktop PC or lower-end gaming laptop, but it packs an enormous amount of pixel-pushing power into a small space, has the capacity to do any job you ask of it, and makes it look smooth and effortless in motion.

Alternatives

Apple has released its new HomeView, a home hub for a smart home system which is also part of the Apple ecosystem.

The company hasn't been afraid of the existing competition – screen-based hubs for smart homes from Google and Amazon Alexa – and, indeed, has set its price at $299 / £299, comfortably above the equivalent devices in the alternative systems.

The device is not just an iPad on a speaker – or an iPad on the wall – however. It has a new operating system of its own, which owes a fair bit to WatchOS as well other parts of Apple's system.

The real question, though, is whether it offers an ideal solution.

Clearly you're not going to be picking this up unless you want to move to (or already have) an Apple-based smart home, and are in need of a central touch-screen to tie the devices together.

Apple's offering looks a lot like a modernized, miniaturized iMac G4. Interestingly for those acutely aware of the iMac it has a black bezel – like the Apple watch – rather than the white trim that some of us thought Apple intended to make the future with the latest iMac.

This device is even more pared back than an iMac, though – with no App store you cannot even install apps. You can make requests of Siri, peruse photos, and do the kinds of things you'd expect.

So, to answer the "Is it any good for photographers?" or indeed creators making video, the answer is "Not especially" – it's one more screen on which you can view files in your standard Apple photo album, but your phone already served you just fine there.

It is also indirectly compatible with a lot of other apps by acting as a remote display (essentially it pretends to be a car and allows CarPlay to take place), which may prove a little useful occasionally, but I don't imagine often.

Playing music, viewing photos, all is done using the Apple apps, so the device is clearly targeting a customer base that has a whole family using Apple devices with a family subscription.

It will, however, keep the answers private to each user.

It has built-in facial recognition using its 12-megapixel camera – not FaceID. For added security it might lack the 3D view of Apple's FaceID system.

What this can do is vbe kept informed about recent nearby uses of an iPhone, so if someone tries to unlock the device while the phone is a long way off it will at least have reason to be suspicious.

So long as you don't let people watch behind you when you ask a question, a reasonable degree of privacy is suggested – though we'll need to wait and see whether this holds out in reality.

Apple is introducing the 'Home Collection' of smart doorbells and cameras, in collaboration with LG and Schneider.

Apple's new devices, albeit released with partner companies, can all be managed through the Apple Home app and are all encrypted.

These are designed to build on the Apple Home collection, and will be launched for sale in early 2027. Matthew Costello, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, said: “Working closely with industry leaders LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, we designed every accessory to work seamlessly with Apple Home, so managing your home is simple, reliable, and private.”

Dedicated black-and-white cameras eliminate the color filters for a cleaner, crisp monochrome image. But one color scientist and cinematographer has just reverse-engineered the iPhone camera to create a fully monochrome 16-bit RAW photograph.

Koloristika is an iPhone photography app built from scans of every available type of Kodak film. The app eliminates Apple’s entire processing pipeline – including sharpening and AI upscaling – to create a 12MP photograph with nostalgic colors in an editable RAW photograph.

For the first time, Koloristika has launched a new black-and-white mode, called Monolith, that works at the sensor level. Monolith isn’t a filter – the monochrome iPhone camera mode instead reverse-engineers the iPhone’s camera to create a 16-bit RAW file that, like the files from a dedicated black-and-white camera, is entirely in monochrome.

I sat down with the app’s creator, color scientist and cinematographer Renato R. Renierra, ahead of the launch for an exclusive interview – and tried out the pre-release build for myself.

The new Monolith takes the iPhone’s color sensor and rebuilds the image as a monochrome digital negative. Rather than simply eliminating the color data, – a process that usually results in artifacts – Monolith uses the data on the sensor design itself to reconstruct the image in black-and-white.

“Every sensor is essentially black and white,” Renierra explained. “The Bayer data that we get from Apple is not color data, it is just a measurement of white light through a red, a green, and a blue filter.”

“The easy logic would be to take the engineering data from the sensor manufacturer and nullify the filters, and you would get some type of black-and-white image,” he continued. “That was always a good idea and is a simple approach, but you can get checkerboarding, artifacts, all kinds of problems.”

Koloristika’s new Monolith reconstructs the data rather than simply subtracting some of that data. “We tried to approach it from a different angle,” Renierra said. “If 50 percent of the image is already green, we can reconstruct the rest from the red and blue filters. That’s quite easy. It is processor-intensive, but with some clever mathematics, we can assemble an image with no artifacting from that data. The concept was always there; it just had some engineering problems, and it’s probably why it wasn’t approached.”

The resulting image is a fully monochromatic 16-bit RAW file. Like the color photos from Koloristika, Monolith doesn't use any of Apple's processing at all – which means every photo taken on an iPhone launched since 2016 is 12MP, as the app doesn't use upscaling from the iPhone's Quad Bayer design.

I shot a few photos with Monolith, then I compared them to the same photo shot with the native iPhone camera app with a filter added. Apple’s already-processed JPEG had more contrast right from the start, but Monolith’s adjustable RAW data is far more customizable.

The native iPhone camera has a higher resolution, thanks to upscaling. But the Monolith photographs have a more natural grain structure. Zooming in on the background, the filtered iPhone photo background looks a bit mottled, whereas Monolith looks like it has the grain of a more traditional photograph.

Koloristika is an iPhone camera app built for color nerds, but the app is also gaining traction among iPhone users looking for a more classic, traditional image – without any AI-based processing.

Koloristika processes the image using its own algorithms through every step. The app processes the image not just with color science based on real Kodak film scans, but also skips Apple’s sharpening and HDR algorithms. The resulting images feel made for those who think iPhone photos look “too crunchy.”

“We all know the plasticky, over-processed look of iPhone,” Renierra said. “Deleting all of that processing gets to our own color and the pipeline, without touching any of the sharpening, without AI upscaling. We package the color in our own organic way."

Renierra said that what often hooks users on the app is when they see photos of themselves shot with Koloristika’s color science. “I think people get the idea of Koloristika as soon as they see themselves, how they turned out on the camera, and they do get a nostalgic feeling from the model. I believe it's obvious that it's different from an Instagram filter or VSCO filter. Most of our user reviews on the App Store, everybody mentions exactly that: how they haven’t seen that type of organic color for a while.”

Koloristika’s focus on color is evident right from the live view screen, which displays the photograph’s color palette. Taking a photograph delivers a soft buzz meant to feel like an old film camera shutter.

Along with the Kodak-based color science and new black-and-white mode, Koloristika also includes a Silverlith slider modeled after bleach bypass and a double exposure tool that creates a RAW rather than a JPEG from two photographs.

The Monolith mode is launching to the Koloristika app beginning October 14 and is available from the App Store. The app is free to try with a 36-photo trial – the same number as one roll of film. The full app is available for $2.99 / £2.99 /AU$4.99 / CA$2.99 a month or $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$29.99 / CA$24.99 a year.

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Read more about the magic of fully monochrome RAW files with the best black-and-white cameras.

If you miss your Sony Walkman – and I very definitely do – then the first app on this list might make you forget that the iPhone Duo has more cost and fewer cameras than the iPhone 18 Pro which came out a few weeks before.

I'm one of those people who has been sitting, waiting, wondering but for every day I don't buy the new iPhone 18 Pro (as I have every one of its predecessors), I get a little bit better at not buying iPhones.

Rather than worry about that, Apple seems to have been encouraging developers to be creative with the new form factor and – even though they have only been able to use simulators – Duoman is a great example of the kind of thing that has already drawn my attention.

I grew up in the UK and, call me ungrateful, but I never quite overcome the embarrassment of getting a Boots-brand personal stereo first.

Boots is the UK's main high-street pharmacy – think CVS – and back in the late 1980s, as well as being the place to get your film developed, it was also a place to buy home stereos and all sorts of goods.

Eventually, though, I got a Sony Walkman (you know what? It was a lot better), and got used to swapping tapes to change

Potentially of interest to photographers – or their subjects – is the Saura App, a "voice first" beauty app which uses one half of the screen as a mirror and the other half to provide a hands-free vanity assistant.

In other words, in case you don't know what that is (don't worry, I didn't), the phone will tell you what make up to apply where to get the look you're after.

Thanks to the design of the phone, it can become a self standing vanity mirror, as well as one that actually talks back.

It's all a bit "Mirror mirror on the wall" for my liking, but it can remember your personal routine, and the developers have suggested that it is at its most powerful when it helps boost your confidence.

Another app that has been doing the rounds is Accorduon, which uses the hinge of the phone as the bellows. The reed sound is fully synthesized and it's been tested on the iPhone Duo simulator.

MPC fans – might be excited by a music sampler created by Shuhan-Zhang Zhang, Aradhya Mishra and Mahin Bharathwaj which beat the others in a competition on Devpost. Called Crate it is an AI-powered music sampler that splilts the controls across the two halves of the device.

That's great, but sadly this isn't a tech that I have the talent for.

Of course these creative new apps aren't really the big new feature, which is side-by-side use of existing apps.

The thing is I've spoken to plenty of people I know who have Android folding phones (yes, I don't know if you heard, but Apple didn't get here first). All of those people tell me that they very rarely end up using that feature.

So I was hoping that there might be something a bit more special to draw me into the new iPhone – Apple-specific software.

Especially as the iPhone Duo isn't actually that big; it folds small and passport sized so that it opens with a more 4:3 shaped screen; 7.6-inches rather than 6.9-inches of the iPhone 17 or 18 Pro Max. Somehow I doubt that'll make a lot of difference for enjoying 16:9 TV/movie content – it'll have black bars or be cropped.

Perhaps there is TranslateCat to look out for though. Should I be lucky enough to get sent on any international trips where my shameful lack of language skills might be exposed, this app using the dual screen system to present both sides of a conversation with a live conversation looks promising.

I didn't say I'd need a lot of convincing, after all. Now admittedly a fake Walkman is asking a lot of my "nostalgia budget," but altogether these apps do start to show that there is potential in the new form factor.

Perhaps I will get a new iPhone this year after all.

Anyone looking for one of the best laptops for video editing or photography workflows needs to look no further than the Apple MacBook Pro. That is assuming you don't need or want a Windows laptop and are not on a super tight budget. The MacBook Pro isn't cheap, but with its industry-leading hardware and build quality, it's sure to pay for itself over its lifetime.

Now shipping with the M5 chip, the MacBook Pro features a 10-core CPU alongside a 10-core GPU. This can be paired with up to 32GB of RAM and 4TB of storage. It's a true powerhouse that is built for creative professionals who need a portable laptop that will also deliver incredible performance.

If the standard M5 chip isn't sufficient for your needs, then Apple offers two upgrades, either to an M5 Pro chip or an M5 Max chip. With these, you'll get 16 cores and more power than most creatives need. When we reviewed the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M5 Max), we questioned whether it was possible to buy a laptop that’s too powerful. For most, the standard M5 model balances performance and value perfectly.

Specifications

Price & Availability

The 32GB RAM version of the MacBook Pro (M5) that I tested costs $2,399 (£2,399 / AU$3,799). If this is more than your budget allows, then your only option for reducing the price, other than downgrading to a MacBook Air or MacBook Neo, is to reduce the RAM to 16GB. If you do that, you'll only need to part ways with $1,999 (£1,999 / AU$3,199).

The only silver lining in terms of price is that it's nowhere near as expensive as the MacBook Pro with an M5 Max (18-core) CPU. For that, you'll need a small mortgage because it costs $5,699 (£5,699 / AU$8,949).

Design

I spend most of my time working on the Apple MacBook M2 Pro 14-inch (2023), and you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between that and the latest M5 model released in 2025. In fact, it's the exact same chassis, and Apple obviously feels like they've nailed it with this line of laptops.

The lack of any design iteration is not necessarily a problem because there are very few flaws that I've found in the materials, aesthetic, or build quality. The bottom line is that it is well made, beautifully compact, and solid as a rock. It measures 155 x 313 x 221 mm and weighs 1.6kg, which makes it light enough to throw in a bag and transport on location or have with you if you're working remotely. It's available in either Space Black or Silver colors.

The display is a gorgeous 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with a huge 3,024 x 1,964 pixel resolution. It's bright, vibrant, clear, and absolutely what any photographer or videographer requires when working with visual media. One small change from its predecessor (M4, 2024) is that the display is now capable of boosting the mini LED backlight, which delivers better performance when used in bright surroundings. Another win for on-location workers.

More importantly, especially for usability, is the new optional nano-textured glass, which delivers a smooth matt finish, which all but eliminates sharp reflections. Unfortunately the downside is that it picks up more fingerprints and is more difficult to wipe clean.

The backlit keyboard continues to perform well with a small enough travel between keys while maintaining a good overall key size. There's no dedicated numpad here, though, but for a compact, portable laptop, that's no surprise. More impressive than the keyboard is the large and responsive trackpad. With so many other manufacturers limiting their trackpads to around 80% clickability, it's a breath of fresh air that the trackpad found on the MacBook Pro has a 100% clickable area.

The webcam (Center Stage camera) takes pride of place at the top of the display and, despite its small size, seems to still require a large notch cutout of around 35mm width. Considering the impact on menus, I'm surprised Apple hasn't tried to reduce this.

In terms of ports, you'll find all the familiar favorites with Magsafe charging and three Thunderbolt 5 ports. Apple has chosen to retain the single HDMI 2.1 port for connecting to an external display. There's also an SDXC port, which is essential for a lot of photographers' workflows. The presence of these ports means that the laptop is thicker than the MacBook Air, for example, but that's the trade-off.

Performance

The MacBook Pro is built to deliver outstanding performance across creative applications and AI workflows. I used it for photo and video editing as well as a little 3D rendering. In all areas, it performed brilliantly, predictably, and without fuss. It didn't get warm or generate any annoying level of fan noise, and there wasn't even a hint of software looking like it was struggling.

Editing photos in Lightroom and Photoshop went without a hitch. I was able to view and edit large libraries of photos and apply varied and complex edits across these batches. Generative AI in Photoshop was also quick and painless. All of these are backed up in the Geekbench CPU scores of 3,728 for single-core and 18,397 for multi-core. And for GPU-related tasks such as handling RAW files and applying filters to photos and videos, the Geekbench GPU OpenCL score came out at 46.833.

These are very impressive numbers, which demonstrate the MacBook Pro M5's ability to handle a wide range of creative tasks with consummate ease. This continued with video editing in Premiere Pro. With it, I was able to effortlessly edit a video and apply complex color grades.

If you're also planning on using the laptop for 3D rendering, then the M5 chip is going to struggle a little compared to the very best GPU technology that NVIDIA offers, but if you only adopt this workflow from time to time, then you won't have any issues. The CPU single-thread score was 734, and the multi-thread score was 4,485.

As you would expect, the laptop was nippy across web browsing, video viewing, streaming of content, and a whole host of other everyday applications. It is a supremely reliable and powerful laptop that will not let you down. It also boasts an impressive all-day battery life—literally 24 hours—and can achieve a 0 to 50% recharge in just 30 minutes.

Overall, I found that the M5 chip outperformed both the Apple M4 Max chip and the Apple M3 Ultra chip, so if you're planning on investing in a previous-generation MacBook, then it might be worth considering that the base-level chip in the latest MacBook Pro may outperform 'superior' chips in older laptops.

Verdict

Apple has made very few changes to the design of the MacBook Pro M5 14-inch compared to its predecessor, but the latest model is still one of the very best laptops for creatives. With the powerful 10-core M5 chip, the laptop devours most tasks, including photo and video editing, 3D rendering, and audio production. This proved true in both our benchmark tests and in practice.

Aside from performance, the MacBook Pro 14-inch is the ideal size for on-location photographers or professionals who work in a variety of different locations. The Liquid Retina XDR display, with its 3,024 x 1,964 pixel resolution and up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, is one of the laptop's best features. It's large enough for most workflows and is bright, vibrant, and clear.

At some point the MacBook Pro will be updated to an M6 chip, which will bring even more power, probably in the realm of the current M5 Pro chip, but for now the M5 version is more than most creatives will need.

Alternatives

In both of our guides to the best tablets for photo editing and the best tablet camera it's no surprise to see that the iPad Pro M4 takes pride in place as 'best overall' winner. When we reviewed it in 2024, we said it "lets you put your foot down with video editing and photo fixing" and praised its Ultra Retina XDR display and powerful M4 chip.

Since then Apple has released the M5 version: an even more powerful chip with 10 cores and an integrated 10-core GPU. Its performance is second to none, and with a five star rating is now the best tablet for all types of creatives, beating the M4 when it comes to sheer power.

There are, of course, many worthy alternatives in the Windows and Android realms with the Microsoft Surface Pro 10 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra worthy of consideration. But if you want the very best, Apple has delivered it yet again.

Specifications

Price & Availability

The 13-inch model of the iPad Pro ranges from $1,499 / £1,499 for 256GB storage and standard glass all the way up to $2,699 / £2,699 if you choose 2TB storage and nano-textured glass.

The model I tested featured 1TB storage and nano-textured glass, which off-the-shelf costs $2,099 / £2,099. The quoted prices are for Wi-Fi only, although for a little extra you can add cellular connectivity.

Compared to the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 (2024), Apple has increased all prices by $200 / £200. The iPad Pro is also available as an 11-inch model with prices beginning at $1,199 / £1,199.

Design

The iPad Pro M5 is everything you'd expect from Apple: sleek, refined, and incredibly well-engineered. It is thin, lightweight, and compact—so much so that it feels like Apple has nowhere to go when it comes to design iterations. That reality is demonstrated in the fact that the iPad Pro M5 is almost identical in design to the M4 2024 version. That means anyone thinking about upgrading shouldn't do so based on the design.

At the heart of the iPad Pro is a huge 13-inch slab of glass, which is contained inside a gorgeous and smooth aluminum chassis. The four smooth corners are complemented by small, sharp bezels on all edges. As a result, it feels comfortable in the hand without putting any strain on your wrist or fingers.

The iPad Pro boasts an Ultra Retina XDR display, which, thanks to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, is bright enough to use in almost all scenarios, including outdoors with bright sunlight. There's also an anti-reflective coating, which comes into its own when you're surrounded by bright lights.

The display itself is everything a person who cares about photos and video needs. The 2,732 x 2,048 px resolution means images pop with detail and clarity. Creatives will also love the P3 wide color gamut and Apple's True Tone white balance feature, which, when combined together, delivers colors you can trust.

On the back there's a small camera bump that houses a 12MP wide camera that is capable of capturing 4K video with the ProRes codec. The rear camera is backed up by a landscape 12MP Center Stage camera located centrally on the front. Thanks to its design, it blends in beautifully with the surrounding black strip, so you'll hardly notice it's there.

The iPad Pro is available in two sizes. The one I tested is the 13-inch model, which measures 11.09 x 8.48 x 0.20 inches and weighs just 1.28 pounds. The larger size is perfect for photographers and videographers who plan on using the tablet for editing. If you can forgo the larger display, then the 11-inch model is a perfect alternative. It measures 9.83 x 6.99 x 0.21 inches and weighs 0.98 pounds.

As has been the case for a number of years, the tablet is limited to just one USB-C port. Through this you can charge the tablet, pair with and charge an Apple Pencil, and finally connect to other peripherals such as headphones.

On either side of the port, which is located at the bottom (when in portrait mode), are two speakers. The design is mirrored at the top with two more speakers. The power button is also found on the RHS of this top edge. And finally, the volume buttons are located towards the top of the right edge.

As for colors, the tablet is available in two colors: Space Black and Silver.

Performance

Beginning with Geekbench 7 CPU tests, the iPad Pro M5 scored 3,606 and 16,841 in single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. This benchmark covers things like using File Compression, PDF Viewer, Photo Library, Text Processing, Photo Editor, and Video Encoder. It's a solid all-round test of the CPU, and the M5 performed incredibly.

Impressive performance continued with the GPU test, with the tablet scoring 72,057. This benchmark looks at items such as Background Blur, Face Tracking, Super Resolution, Horizon Detection, Photo Filter, and RAW. The integrated GPU found on the M5 chip offers some of the best performance found on any tablet from any brand.

These amazing test scores are backed up by experience. When using Adobe Lightroom for the iPad, I was able to perform a whole host of color corrections and edits to a library of photos with no hang-ups or issues at all. It simply cracked through them, displaying results instantly and without fuss. Being able to do this makes the iPad Pro the perfect companion for photographers who need to be able to edit and deliver their photos before they've managed to get back to their desk.

In recent years, we've also seen an increase in dedicated video editing software for the iPad. So I downloaded and installed DaVinci Resolve for iPad and proceeded to make some edits and carry out some color grading. Despite not pushing the software to the absolute limit, I was impressed by how the M5 chip was able to handle what I threw at it.

Both the front and rear cameras deliver respectable results with solid resolution and color replication. They can be relied upon to produce accurate and reliable images, but they lack the creative control you get from flagship phone cameras, namely telephoto lenses with gorgeous depth of field effects.

The bottom line is that the iPad Pro M5 is the fastest and most capable tablet you can buy at the moment, and if you buy it for your creative pursuits, I'm sure you'll quickly find yourself using it for a whole host of tasks that you used to use a laptop for.

Final Verdict

I'm running out of superlatives for the iPad Pro M5. With the very latest silicone power of any Apple tablet, the iPad Pro M5 is arguably the best tablet we've seen, from any brand, ever. It might look almost identical to its predecessor, but that just goes to show how good the previous design was. Other than the provision of more ports, there's literally nothing that I would change about its design.

The tablet is a performance powerhouse that is built with photographers and videographers in mind. Our experience as well as the CPU and GPU benchmark tests that we ran confirm how fast, smooth, and responsive the tablet is. In fact, it's so good that it could replace most people's laptops, especially if it's only being used to edit photos. Video editors will love the ability to edit on the go, but if you're handling a lot of large files with complex edits and filters, then you'll need something with more power.

All in, the iPad Pro is for serious creative professionals who can afford the financial outlay. It delivers great results on almost every front, and despite the potential imminent release of the M6 version, the M5 chip will be more than powerful enough for most people for a long time to come.

Alternatives

The iPhone 18 Pro Max arrives as Apple's yearly update to its best camera phone formula, sitting alongside the smaller but identically equipped iPhone 18 Pro, and arriving just before the company takes a swing at the folding form factor with the forthcoming iPhone Duo.

The headline upgrades are centered around its new A20 Pro processor, improved battery life, a smaller Dynamic Island, and, most importantly for Digital Camera World readers, new Photographic Styles alongside a variable-aperture 48MP main camera.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max was already one of the best camera phones available, and some of the best video capabilities of any smartphone – in fact, it has been our benchmark in guides such as the best phone for video recording. But with both significant software and hardware changes this year, can Apple's latest still retain its crown?

Specifications

Price & Availability

The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 / £1,299 / €1,599 / AU$2,299 for 256GB, with 512GB, 1TB and 2TB versions also available, although, as ever, Apple's storage upgrades come at a significant premium.

iPhones were already expensive phones, and Apple has added $100 to the launch price compared with the equivalent iPhone 17 Pro Max. But this isn't entirely down to Apple; thanks to the ongoing memory shortage, there have been price rises across top devices this year.

Google's Pixel 11 Pro XL and Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra also launched this year at $1,299 for 256GB (although the latter contains more camera hardware for that price), but Apple is firmly amongst mainstream flagship pricing rather than being an outlier on its own.

But do I think anyone with an iPhone 17 Pro Max should upgrade? The biggest photographic change is the variable-aperture main camera, and as I'll get into below, I don't find that nearly useful or exciting enough to justify spending another $1,299. But if you are coming from older iPhone models, then there is a lot more value to be found.

Design

If you put the silver iPhone 18 Pro Max next to last year's model, you might struggle to tell which is which. Apple has kept almost exactly the same design, right down to the dimensions – so much so that iPhone 17 Pro Max cases even fit the new phone. Not that I am disappointed; I liked the iPhone 17 Pro Max design, and I still like it here.

The colors have changed, with Burgundy replacing Cosmic Orange as the headline option, alongside Glacier (a light metallic blue), Silver and Black. I like the burgundy, but I don't love it. It isn't remotely as in-your-face as last year's Cosmic Orange, which some people will no doubt appreciate, but as the signature color for this generation, it feels a little underwhelming. I actually prefer Glacier and Silver, although in some lighting they are perhaps a little too close together in tone, while black is there for anyone who wants to play it safe.

Apple has also stuck with an aluminum unibody rather than returning to titanium, accompanied by Ceramic Shield 2 and an IP68 water- and dust-resistance rating. I have some reservations about that decision after living with my iPhone 17 Pro for the last year, which has picked up a fairly impressive collection of scratches and nicks across its frame and rear panel.

The body measures 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm and weighs 249g, which is up from 233g for the previous Pro Max.

The physical controls haven't changed either, including the Camera Control button, which I continue to dislike, not just on the iPhone but also on its many Chinese copycats. I find the combination of presses and swipes fiddly enough that it is almost always easier for me to simply use the controls on screen. I also press it accidentally all the time. I am waiting for Apple to find the "courage" to take this one away.

However, I do really like the Action button, and I find it is considerably more useful for quick functions that actually suit how you use your phone.

The screen is fundamentally very similar to last year's. It is a 6.9-inch 2868 x 1320 Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion up to 120Hz, a 3,000-nit rated outdoor peak brightness and Apple's new anti-reflective coating. There have been changes behind the scenes to improve battery efficiency with new LTPO+ tech, while the most visible difference is the Dynamic Island, which is around 35% narrower after Apple moved part of the Face ID hardware beneath the display.

I have also seen discussions online around the screen looking worse than the one on the 17 Pro Max, but having compared the two side by side, I can't really spot any meaningful difference in quality.

Camera Performance

Apple's rear camera system remains built around three 48MP cameras covering 13mm, 24mm, and 100mm equivalent focal lengths, with 2x and 8x options generated from sensor crops.

The big change is that the main camera adds a physical six-blade variable aperture with f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4 settings. Variable aperture is intriguing, as the concept of buying a mirrorless camera without a physical aperture is laughable. However, on a phone, I just remain unconvinced by it.

I have used similar systems on phones from Xiaomi and Huawei with even larger sensors and didn't think they lived up to the hype there either. On a sensor this small, the majority of everyday photographs simply don't show enough difference in depth of field between aperture settings for me to care.

You really only start to see it when focusing close to a subject. That makes it potentially useful for close portraits with the main camera, although I don't personally think 24mm is an ideal focal length for close-up portraits in the first place. I just really struggled to find any practical uses for the variable aperture when I was out shooting. If I wasn't testing the phone for review, I don't think I would ever use it.

Computational photography has also removed some of the reasons I might otherwise want a physical aperture on a phone. Portrait modes are now incredibly good at faking shallow depth of field, while computational long-exposure and light-trail modes mean I don't need to stop a lens down to force a longer shutter speed.

I also don't love how Apple handles the manual aperture selection. Apple has finally added proper Pro Controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and a histogram to its Camera app, which is a welcome move, but getting to the aperture controls still feels more buried in menus and more complicated than it needs to be.

The more useful part of the new aperture is actually the fact that the main camera can now open to f/1.48, compared with f/1.78 on the previous generation, allowing more light to reach the sensor. That is a tangible benefit for low-light shooting, even if it isn't as exciting as watching physical aperture blades move.

For outright image quality, while I don't think the iPhone 18 Pro Max takes the best photographs you can get from a phone, where Apple continues to excel is reliability. Some rival phones can look absolutely spectacular when everything falls into place, but I have more confidence in the iPhone that whatever I point it at will come back as a usable photograph. Colors are generally accurate and true to life, exposure is extremely dependable even in awkward or harshly lit scenes, and there is excellent consistency when moving between cameras.

Chinese manufacturers have pushed much harder on camera hardware, with larger sensors, higher-resolution telephoto cameras, and collaborations with established imaging brands for camera processing. The Xiaomi 17 Ultra, for example, combines a 1-inch-type main sensor with Leica tuning and a 200MP telephoto camera, and it can simply extract more quality than the iPhone, but while I love Xiaomi's processing far more than Apple's, I can't rely on it every single time. There is a lot to be said for the "iPhone look", even if it's a bit boring.

The 4x telephoto is particularly good, and the 8x crop still holds up remarkably well without an immediately obvious collapse in quality.

But beyond that, Apple starts to fall behind. Digital zoom tops out at 40x, and Apple's processing at extreme zoom levels isn't in the same league as the AI-assisted systems offered by Google, Samsung, and the Chinese manufacturers.

The ultrawide is also very good overall, although I have noticed more muddiness in harsh lighting than I get from the main or telephoto cameras, with dynamic range seeming a little less convincing. If I start pixel peeping, it isn't as crisp as the other lenses either, although at normal viewing sizes it looks perfectly good.

Macro remains one of my biggest frustrations because the iPhone still switches to the ultrawide camera for close focusing rather than embracing tele-macro. I really do not like the perspective that ultrawide gives close-up subjects, and if macro is something you take seriously on an iPhone, I would invest in an accessory such as Moment's 75mm Macro lens for a more natural working distance and perspective.

The big software feature for Apple's camera this year is Photographic Styles, its answer to the growing demand for more stylized images straight out of camera – think Fujifilm film simulations. Most of Apple's presets are very good; a few wander a little too much into obvious "filter" territory, but if you are bored of the standard iPhone look, there is a lot to experiment with here.

Apple has expanded the system with additional tone, saturation, texture, and grain controls, and you can create some very cool results. This isn't quite as in-depth as LUTs or even Fujifilm's system, but there is a lot of promise if you're willing to play around enough with the settings.

However, if you are after the most "film-inspired' looks, then there are still plenty of third-party apps I prefer.

Video has always been one of Apple's strongest suits, and I think the iPhone 18 Pro Max is still top of the pile.

Standard iPhone video is beautifully balanced, with accurate colors, very dependable exposure, and excellent matching when switching between lenses, something a surprising number of otherwise brilliant camera phones still struggle with. Apple's HDR processing can be heavy, but I rarely find it aggressive enough to ruin the image.

Stabilization is also the best I have used on a phone. And more serious filmmakers get a frankly ridiculous range of options, including 4K 120fps Dolby Vision, ProRes, ProRes RAW, Apple Log 2, genlock, and 4K 120fps ProRes recording directly to external storage.

My only real complaint is that the standard Camera app still doesn't give creators enough control over settings. If you want to get properly involved, you can switch to Final Cut Camera or Blackmagic Camera, both of which reveal just how powerful the iPhone can be as a filmmaking tool, but they introduce a fairly steep learning curve (and an additional app). I would love it if Apple had a revamped Pro mode where controls were just more in reach.

Apple has also fitted four studio-quality microphones this year. I am not sure how many serious creators are relying on their phone's internal microphones when wireless systems are so easy to carry, but if you leave your mic kit at home, it is certainly useful to know the built-in option is more capable.

Phone Performance

Apple has been difficult to beat for outright smartphone performance since it began designing its own processors, and the A20 Pro keeps that advantage intact. Built on a 2nm process, it combines a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engine, while Apple claims up to 40% more GPU performance than the A19 Pro.

My Geekbench 6 results put the iPhone 18 Pro Max at 4,653 for single-core and 12,511 for multi-core performance. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra scored 3,659 and 11,305, respectively, so Apple still holds a small advantage, although Qualcomm does have a new chip since the last Galaxy.

Numbers aside, the phone feels incredibly quick. Everything from day-to-day navigation to editing and exporting video happens almost instantly, and I can scrub through huge video files without stuttering. There is already far more processing power here than the majority of owners are likely to need, but photographers and filmmakers working with large RAW files, 4K video, and increasingly demanding AI tools can actually make some use of the headroom.

Battery life has improved too. In my normal mix of web browsing, streaming, messaging, and photography, I get around a day and a half before needing to charge. Particularly impressive is Apple's much smaller cell is competing remarkably well with Chinese manufacturers that are putting enormous silicon-carbon batteries into their flagship phones.

There hasn't been much change to Apple OS. iOS 27 continues to refine Apple's Liquid Glass interface, which is probably sensible as it's been a pretty divisive visual change. Apple doesn't publish an exact number of guaranteed OS updates for the iPhone, but its historic support is among the longest in the industry, so I have very few concerns about the 18 Pro Max remaining useful for years.

The biggest new software push is, inevitably, AI. Siri's AI (or Apple Intelligence) is more capable and uses more on-device processing alongside Apple's Private Cloud Compute, while Photos gets tools including Spatial Reframing, Extend, and a more powerful Clean Up function.

There are also some interesting developments around image authenticity. Apple's new Reference Image feature can record data alongside a photograph, allowing an original reference to be compared with edited versions. Apple is also adding support for Google's SynthID later this year so AI-generated or AI-edited images can carry an invisible watermark. All of which should help in the fightback against AI-slop.

Final Verdict

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is a fine update; it's Apple refining an already very good phone. Not all the additions, I think, are worthwhile, but none of them detract from an incredible device.

For photography, there are phones I would choose ahead of it if image quality were my greatest concern, and Apple's headline variable aperture hasn't changed photography nearly as much as the marketing would suggest. Yet there is a lot to be said for how dependable the iPhone is. I can pull it from my pocket, snap away, and the photos will just look good. It remains a very capable everyday camera even if it isn't the outright stills champion.

But for video, I think it is still the phone to beat. The consistency between lenses, excellent stabilization, accurate color, and huge choice of professional codecs and formats make it my first choice for recording on a phone.

However, I just wouldn't upgrade from an iPhone 17 Pro Max for it, as the 17 is already just such a good phone, and I don't feel the 18 Pro Max adds quite enough. But for anyone coming from an older model, the iPhone 18 Pro Max remains one of the best camera phones you can buy right now.

Alternatives

The first iPhone launched in 2007, $499 – far less than the recently announced iPhone 18 Pro's entry price of $1,199. By contrast, the price of a quality camera has hardly changed – a Digital Rebel XTi was $899 ($1,445 adjusted for inflation) in 2007 while a broadly equivalent modern camera – the Sony ZV-E10 II – comes in for less, allowing for inflation, at $1,099.

In both cases, the cameras produce better results than the iPhone then and the iPhone 18 Pro now.

And there has been a marked – and you'd think off-putting rise – in the price of the iPhone. Despite that, I think photographers should be a lot more worried about the future of the cameras in this class than the phones – I know I am.

Why?

Because the iPhone started from close to zero when it came to its camera. That first iPhone had a 2-megapixel camera – that's 1600 x 1200 pixels. The low-light capabilities, as I recall, were little more than the ability to produce noise.

It was fixed focus and didn't even have digital zoom in the standard Camera app (not that it'd be much use at that resolution).

The camera was kept flush against the back of the relatively small phone, in a design which felt very much like Apple prioritised the form and style over the camera's functionality, but in fairness no one was sure what a camera in a phone was for.

In fact, no one really knew what a camera in a phone was going to be capable of.

There was also not even an App store at the time, let alone tons of social media apps to create pristine content for. There was no Instagram until 2010. No SnapChat until 2011. Let alone TikTok (2016).

Now the iPhone 18 Pro has an entry price of $1,199. There are much cheaper ways to get hold of a phone, and a camera.

But the new iPhones (and they're certainly not the highest megapixel counts), sports a 48-megapixel main camera with a variable aperture, and (as is common now) not just a digital zoom but a 48-megpixel camera with 4x native telephoto lens.

Combined with a 'Center Stage' front camera and ProRes RAW, Log 2 video recording and – simply but usefully – a Night Mode there are far fewer cases for reaching for the still technically better 'real camera'.

Real camera v iPhone: the value difference

I think that consumers understand the difference isn't what it used to be, and that there is one more enormous factor: speed.

A huge number of creators want their images to be immediately available on their phone to post, or to edit in a user friendly app and then post.

Plenty of cameras can transfer them via Wi-Fi and the like, but nothing is as convenient or quick as coming from the phone's own camera.

So, for most creators, most of the time, it's a battle of "good enough" versus "good".

I speak to YouTubers and other content creators all the time, and premium phones are winning that battle for them more often than not.

Leica is making an even bigger play for iPhone photographers with the launch of Leica LUX 2.0, the biggest update yet to its mobile camera app, alongside a new silver LUX grip and matching leather cases for Apple’s latest iPhone 18 Pro series.

The updated Leica LUX app brings the mobile experience closer to Leica’s wider camera ecosystem, with a new gallery interface based on the Leica FOTOS app, a redesigned user interface and a selection of alternative app icons inspired by some of Leica’s most recognizable cameras. Leica has also introduced elements of Apple’s Liquid Glass design language while keeping the main photographic controls in familiar positions, so existing LUX users shouldn’t have to relearn how to use the app completely.

One of the headline additions is a new Artist Look created in collaboration with legendary photographer Steve McCurry. Rather than attempting to automatically turn every photograph into something resembling one of McCurry’s images, Leica says the look has been designed around his distinctive approach to color, light, and atmosphere, giving photographers a starting point from which to develop their own images. It follows the earlier Greg Williams Artist Look and will be included with Leica LUX PRO, while also being made available for the Leica Q3 and Leica SL3 through the Leica FOTOS app.

“With Leica LUX 2.0, mobile photography is becoming more closely integrated with the Leica system. The shared gallery, the new user interface and Steve McCurry’s Artist Look offer photographers new ways to develop their own visual language using an iPhone. Together with the silver Leica LUX grip and matching cases, the result is a coordinated range for mobile photography,” says Marius Eschweiler, Leica Camera AG’s Vice President of Mobile.

Leica LUX 2.0 also introduces a number of useful workflow improvements. A new filmstrip makes it possible to select individual photographs directly from the detail view, while multiselect functionality has been added to the grid for photographers working through larger groups of images.

Adobe Lightroom and Capture One can also now be opened directly from the app alongside Darkroom, making it easier to move images into a more advanced editing workflow. The app will support the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max from launch, with additional optimizations designed around the photographic capabilities of Apple’s newest Pro models.

The app itself is only one part of Leica’s increasingly ambitious mobile photography system. The Leica LUX grip is now available in silver for the first time, joining the existing black version while retaining the same physical controls. That includes a two-stage shutter release, a control wheel, and two customizable function buttons, with the grip attaching to an iPhone via MagSafe and communicating with the phone over Bluetooth. Leica says its battery will last for up to 1,000 shots before needing to be recharged through USB-C, while compatibility stretches back to the iPhone 12.

Leica is also introducing new black leather LUX cases designed specifically for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The cases feature a red microfiber interior and are designed to work directly with the LUX grip and other MagSafe accessories. Leica has also replaced the previous open cutout around the iPhone’s camera button with an integrated button, creating what it describes as a more robust and completely enclosed design.

The new accessories are certainly positioned at the premium end of the iPhone photography market. The silver Leica LUX grip costs $395.00 / £260 and includes one year of Leica LUX PRO, while the leather Leica LUX cases are priced at $95 / £85 each. Both the grip and cases are available from today through Leica Stores, Leica’s online store, and authorized retailers.

The Steve McCurry Artist Look and support for the iPhone 18 Pro series are also available now, while the full Leica LUX 2.0 update, including its new gallery, redesigned interface and alternative app icons, will arrive on the Apple App Store in early October.

Leica says LUX has already been downloaded millions of times since its introduction in 2024, and with the company now bringing its app, physical controls and accessories closer together, it is becoming increasingly clear that Leica sees the iPhone as much more than simply another smartphone camera.

Friday September 18 is the days the stores open around the world for the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. In the USA 14 of the brand new iPhones will also be used to capture the Giants take on the Dodgers and broadcast live on Apple TV to subscribers in 60 countries.

Originally announced last month, Apple phones are being hidden in parts of the Major League Baseball (MLB) stadia that are just impossible to tuck traditional broadcast gear, including the pitch clock, behind the backstop, on a foul pole, and in both bullpens.

Since the game starts at 7:15pm on the West Coast today (3.15am tomorrow for British fans), it comes sometime after the first iPhones went on sale around the world.

Interestingly in the first market to open, Australia's Sydney, there was some sweary debate and general childishness over who was first, much to the entertainment of US tabloids like the New York Post.

The point is that it's a busy day for the iPhone – but it isn't stopping MLB getting them out on the field.

The iPhone 18 Pros will be used to shoot part of the Friday's Giants at Dodgers game. Eight of the 14 iPhones will be sending a live feed using a private T-Mobile 5G network.

This private network is at a different frequency to the 50,000 or so fans in the stadium, and makes the difference between reliable broadcast video and a connection at the mercy of thousands of other phone users nearby.

The upshot is that the iPhone's footage will be involved in the live coverage, not just a highlights package.

iPhones will get more involved too – essentially anything which was previously shot with a camera on a shoulder rig then transmitted via a broadcast truck can be shot using an iPhone. That means batting practice or the players receiving their instructions, even events in the dugouts.

An iPhone can fit in new places – like hanging on a foul pole for nine whole innings. The new 48-megapixel fusion camera boasts a variable aperture, as well as easier to access pro controls like white balance, which should make the process a little easier to cope with for longstanding broadcast engineers. That said, iPhones have been used before for live sports – the iPhone 17 (four of them, in fact) made an appearance at Fenway Park in September 2005 and that is described as the first by Apple.

Check out our guides to the best cases for the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the best cases for the iPhone 18 Pro

Apple has finally brought variable aperture to its iPhone cameras – and that alongside its first folding device. But as a photographer, the reason I want an iPhone 18 Pro is actually much simpler: an anti-AI tool called reference image.

The rise of AI has introduced tools to drastically alter images without any complex technical know-how. But the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max’s have a hardware-level ability to save an untouched, unprocessed image as a reference image.

On a device running iOS 27, that reference image can be accessed in the Photos app with a tap. This not only allows viewers to see whether or not the photograph was altered in any way, but also displays an image without the camera’s usual processing algorithms that tweak things like colors and contrast.

That means that a reference image may not have the pretty colors of the final image, but it serves as a record of what the scene looked like and whether or not any tools were used to alter the image.

Reference image works in two phases. First, the sensor captures what Apple calls a “secure digital negative.” That image needs the barest amount of processing in order to become a viewable image, so in the second part of the process, Apple uses Private Cloud Compute and demosaics, tone maps, and compresses the image.

A reference image works on a hardware level – the iPhone camera sensor captures the reference image and saves it with the standard photo type. During manufacturing, both the camera sensor and processor are given a unique identifier. This allows reference images to be validated by confirming that the photo was taken with a sensor and matching processor.

That does, unfortunately, mean that a reference image needs an internet connection to verify that those keys match with Private Cloud Compute. Apple says that it doesn’t have access to those reference images and doesn’t use those images for AI training, but if you are in a spot without internet, the reference image won’t be available until you’ve restored the connection.

Apple says that hardware solutions are less susceptible to compromise. But that also means it requires the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max camera’s sensor to work, so this isn’t a feature that Apple is going to bring to older devices through an iOS update.

Reference image is an opt-in feature – users have to go into the Settings app, navigate to the Camera section, select Reference Image, and then follow Apple’s instructions for setup.

Once that setup is complete, iPhone users can turn reference mode on and off directly inside the Camera app. This is important, as the added data means photos taken in this mode will take up more space on the device.

In the Photos app, the photograph can then be compared to the original reference image by tapping “reference” at the top of the photo to develop the reference image – which requires an internet connection. Once developed, tapping the reference icon will allow you to compare the image with the original reference data.

While building authenticity directly into the hardware at the time the photo is captured can be more secure, there’s still one significant downside to the new reference image – a device running iOS27 or later is needed to view those images, meaning an Android user can’t check the authenticity unless a supported app comes out in the future.

Users can also choose whether or not to share the reference image data inside the camera settings.

While cross-platform compatibility is going to be a must for a truly verifiable image, I’m glad to see Apple taking steps towards transparency about how much a photograph has been altered. I love that the approach is not only hardware-based, but that you can see the actual reference image – because edits like applying a filter shouldn’t have the same warning flags as using AI to add a generated object or remove something from the image.

Am I going to buy a new iPhone just because there’s an anti-AI photo tool built in? Well, no, but I’m glad to see Apple putting resources into the growing issue of AI slop.

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Take a look at the best camera phones. Or read about what the iPhone 18 Pro's new variable aperture means.

The first iPhone became a near-overnight success – but new research suggests that the iPhone 17 could be the most popular generation in the entire series.

According to market research firm Counterpoint, more than $170 billion of iPhone 17s sold were in its first year, which is the highest first-year revenue in the iPhone’s entire history. (That's about £125.8 billion / AU$238.4 billion / CA$236.9 billion.)

Looking at the iPhone 17 in terms of revenue may not quite indicate which generation of iPhone is the most popular as well as the number of smartphones sold – after all, the base model iPhone 17 costs nearly twice what the 4GB iPhone cost in 2007.

The base model iPhone has launched at a similar list price for the last five years – though the Pro and Pro Max models in the 17 came with a price jump. Counterpoint’s data suggests that the iPhone 17 series generated 11 percent more revenue than the iPhone 16.

The data echoes what Apple said earlier this year, calling the iPhone 17 the “most popular” model in its entire history, as Apple posted double-digit sales growth back in April.

The details on the iPhone 17’s first year of sales couldn’t have come at a more interesting time. Apple has now announced the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and the first folding version, the iPhone Duo.

Ahead of Apple’s fall events, analysts predicted the rising cost of memory would impact costs – but that prediction came true for both the fresh models and the older iPhone 17. Both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max sit at a higher price point than their predecessors, but the price on the base model iPhone 17, as well as the 17e and iPhone Air, also increased this month.

In the US, the base model iPhone 17 now costs about $100 more than it did at launch, with a similar £100 increase in the UK. That’s the first time in five years that the base model iPhone has increased in price.

While Apple launched the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, Apple’s fall launch event did not come with a new base model iPhone 18, which leaves the earlier iPhone 17 still a current option.

This comes after John Ternus takes over the role of Apple CEO, following Tim Cook’s 15 years in the role.

The iPhone will turn 20 years old in the fall of 2027. The success of the iPhone 17, along with the newly launched features like a variable-aperture camera and the company’s first folding device, will make that particular milestone even more interesting to watch.

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Read more with the guide to the best camera phones.

The foldable iPhone Duo may have stolen much of the limelight at the iPhone 18 launch event, but Apple was also keen to show off its new variable aperture lens that fronts the primary camera in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Along with a new 48MP sensor, it's made this "the most advanced camera Apple has ever made".

The camera can automatically select an aperture setting depending on whether a faster shutter speed or greater depth of field is to be prioritised, or users can manually chose between four aperture settings in the Camera app. The aperture diaphragm is comprised of six laser-cut blades controlled by a new rotor mechanism, which apple states will smoothly transition between f/4 and the maximum f/1.48 aperture.

It all sounds mightily impressive, but it raises a couple of questions: why don't all high-end camera phones have a variable aperture camera lens? And considering these lenses are nothing new, why has it taken so long for Apple to embrace this technology?

Firstly, though variable aperture lenses aren't common in camera phones, the iPhone 18 Pro is far from the first phone to use one. In 2022 Huawei gave us a variable f/1.4-f/4 aperture lens in its Mate 50 Pro, and Xiaomi used a similar variable aperture a year later in its flagship 14 Pro handset. Even back in 2018 you could have had a dual-aperture camera lens, courtesy of the Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+. And yet despite the technology clearly being viable for years, it's yet to become the norm in the camera phone sector.

There's actually good reasoning for this. A variable lens aperture is essential in a lens designed for a conventional, large-sensor camera like a full-frame DSLR or mirrorless body. This is because the larger the sensor, the shallower the depth of field at a given aperture. With a full-frame camera, if you want a subject close to the camera and a distant background to both be in focus, you'll need to significantly reduce the lens aperture. But shrink the sensor down to the size of a typical camera phone sensor - 1/1.28in, in the case of the iPhone 18 Pro - and, even at the lens' f/1.48 max aperture, there'll still be a huge depth of field.

So if a camera phone is inherently good at producing a deep depth of field, there's little reason for having a lens with a variable aperture. You may as well fix the aperture to be as large as possible to get the maximum amount of light through to the sensor, thereby keeping shutter speeds high and ISO sensitivity low - the ideal recipe for sharp, low-noise shots.

Apple is keen to show off the benefits of a variable aperture lens in its press material for the iPhone 18 Pro, with several sample images demonstrating how the new lens can give you the best of both worlds: a wide aperture for better low light image quality, and a narrower aperture for when you want a greater depth of field to keep subjects at different distances in focus. It sure looks impressive from the press material, but having reviewed camera phones for many years and seen just how much depth of field you can get from a large aperture, I’ve almost never wished I had the ability to stop down.

And this may answer the question of why Apple hasn't seen fit to use a variable aperture lens sooner. This isn't cutting-edge tech - it could have implemented it years ago - and yet it didn't. Could that be because Apple also knows that this really isn't a game-changer for camera phone image quality? I can only speculate as to why it's now chosen to incorporate this tech into the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, but my best guess is that at least it represents some form of hardware improvement, even if the real-world benefits may be marginal. In a world where most phone camera 'upgrades' now come in the form of AI, Apple likely needed to do something different to stand out, and a variable aperture lens, if nothing else, is indeed different.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max is Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone, at least until the folding iPhone Duo comes along in October. And when you've invested $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,299 the first thing you'll want to do after taking it out of its box is put it straight into a protective case.

Apple, of course, makes its own range of cases, but they are on the pricey side and – dare I say it – a little boring. But there are plenty of third-party options available, too, and these tend to be a little more adventurous in their design.

Here's my pick of cases that I've personally tried and tested. These are all for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but most are also available in variants to fit the smaller iPhone 18 Pro. If you're sticking with the previous-generation iPhone 17 Pro / Pro Max, but fancy treating it to a new case, the good news is that there's precious little difference in the form factor between generations, so all the cases in this guide will also fit and protect the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Indeed, you may see cases variously labeled as for 'iPhone 18 Pro Max' or 'iPhone 18 / 17 Pro Max', and both will fit either generation of phones nicely and snugly. But while a case designed for the 'iPhone 17 Pro Max' will phyically fit the newer phone, its camera bump is slightly deeper, so an older case might not quite offer the same level of protection.

Best Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max cases

Best iPhone 18 Pro Max case for photographers

Peak Design has earned an enviable reputation among photographers, with a range of reliable, well-designed, no-nonsense products including camera straps, bags, and tripods, and the company is also beginning to make a name for itself as a maker of quality phone cases, too.

The Everyday Case is, in fact, the name for a range of elegantly designed but protective cases made from various materials, including nylon canvas, full-grain leather, and a vegan leatherette for the ecologically minded. All cases in the range feature machined aluminum buttons that complement the main color, a responsive camera control passthrough, and MagSafe charging and connection.

You then have the choice of the rear of the case being plain, featuring a pull-out finger loop for more secure handholding, having a Slimlink recess that locks mechanically to car or bike mounts, or both the loop and Slimlink. All cases are Fair Trade Certified and are backed by Peak Design’s lifetime guarantee.

Prices vary quite considerably depending on the materials and features selected, but I think it's worth paying the extra for the all-bells-and-whistles variant with the Slimlink connector and finger loop – both hold your phone more securely on mounts and in the hand, while adding negligible depth to the size of the case.

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Best iPhone 18 Pro Max case for fashionistas

If you want an eye-catching case that's as individual as you are, then one of the Burga Tough iPhone 18 Pro Max cases will be right up your alley. With well over 500 designs on offer, from cute cats and animal prints to geometric patterns and mirror finishes, there's bound to be one that suits your sense of style. Anti-fade printing ensures the design holds its color.

All cases are MagSafe compatible, and the CloudGuard 2-in-1 Defense System features a dual-layer construction: a shock-absorbing silicone inner lining wrapped in a hard polycarbonate outer shell to protect against drops. Raised 2mm bezels around the display and camera lenses keep delicate glass surfaces elevated in the case of flat drops, while a microfibre lining prevents scratching from within.

You can buy each iPhone case design alongside matching AirPod case covers, power banks, and magnetic ring holders for an accessorized look. For those who like to change their style as their mood suits them, Burga has a 'buy 4, pay for 2' offer, so you can swap cases as the whim takes you. In addition to the Tough line, Burga also offers Elite cases, with a similar seemingly endless choice of designs along with tougher rubberized edges for even greater protection.

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Best clear iPhone 18 Pro Max case

You spend ages deliberating on which color of iPhone to buy, only to hide it away in a case. But it doesn't have to be this way. The Mous Clarity case is transparent to enable the full beauty of your shiny new iPhone 18 Pro Max to shine through. And, as it has been constructed from PCTG co-polyester with UV-resistant technology to resist yellowing, the case should look as good a few years down the line as the day you bought it.

There are a lot of cheap and nasty clear cases on the market that offer little in the way of grip or protection, but that's certainly not the case with this case. While the main body is clear, it is built around an aluminum frame and has an opaque textured surface for improved grip in stone or black colorways. This frame hides an AiroShock protection system built into the edges of the case, focused on the corners to protect against drop damage, and has a reinforced ring around the camera bump. Indeed, Mous is famed for videos of lobbing brand-new phones in its cases off tall buildings and living to tell the tale, without picking up as much as a scratch.

The case comes with black or stone-colored edges, and this color option is mirrored in the MagSafe ring (non-MagSafe versions are also available, but there's not much price difference). They really do offer the best of both worlds: a see-through case that is grippy and protective.

In addition to the clear case, Mous also has non-transparent Limitless cases in various patterns and materials, including leather and aramid fiber, and even an Intralock case for active types that clips into mounts for bike handlebars, all with the same AiroShock protection system. You can further modify the cases with a pop-in camera kickstand or lens guard; the basic lens bump pops out, and the replacement pops into its place.

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Best luxury iPhone 18 Pro Max case

Nothing screams luxury like leather, and the Troubadour Modular Leather Case is crafted from full-grain leather that promises to age beautifully. The 'modular' refers to a back panel that attaches to the phone via MagSafe and can be removed to show off the rear of the iPhone or replaced with a matching wallet that stashes three cards, yet has a slimmer profile than most because it, too, attaches directly to the rear of the phone.

The cases really are a delight to hold and behold. It has that wonderful leather smell, and the buttons are made from machined metal, rather than plastic, to add to the top-quality feel. On the inside, a microfiber lining keeps your phone protected.

The case is part of a wider Troubadour ecosystem, which includes the aforementioned leather wallet-cum-kickstand that snaps to the phone case via MagSafe and can support the phone for watching media; there's a matching AirPods case; and a keyfob with an Apple AirTag compartment to end the problem of mislaying your keys. While I think the case itself is an affordable luxury – it's typically around the same price as Apple's no-frills silicone case – adding all the accessories does add up.

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Best iPhone 18 Pro Max case for sports

The Quad Lock iPhone 18 Pro Max case has a nice rubberized feel with a chunky surround that should give you confidence should you accidentally drop the phone. Not that that's very likely, because around the back, in the middle of the MagSafe-compatible ring, is a recessed indent that forms the Quad Lock mechanism. This securely attaches the phone to all manner of mounts. There's a running armband, bike handlebar mounts, in-car kits, and a whole lot else. You simply slot the case onto the mount at a 45º angle and give it a twist, whereby it locks firmly in place until released by pressing a latch on the mount.

It's really rock solid and offers a much safer support than the strongest of magnets could ever muster; I trust it entirely when going out for a run, and it has the bonus that the front face of the phone is unobscured, so the touchscreen works, which I've found isn't the case with typical running straps.

Previous-generation Quad Lock cases only came in black, but for the latest iPhone 18 models, the company has introduced a range of colorways to match the phone. Quad Lock also makes matching AirPods cases with a similar rugged, super-protective build.

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Best slim iPhone 18 Pro Max case

While your shiny new iPhone 18 Pro Max demands protection from the rigors that daily life can throw at it, it can seem a shame to hide that sleek form factor with an overly bulky case. The Pitaka Edge case aims to remedy this with an incredibly thin and light construction: it's just 1.2mm thick and a featherweight 25 grams.

It's crafted from aerospace-grade aramid fiber, a high-tech woven material that Pitaka says is five times stronger than steel, while being much, much lighter. It really, truly adds no noticeable size to the phone, and has a lovely, elegant textured feel. There are lots of design options, with colors applied to the woven fibers for a cool and distinctive pixelated look, with names such as Milky Way Galaxy and Glints of Gold.

A raised camera bump protects the precious lens array, and it's MagSafe compatible too. A PitaTap Camera Control cover transfers full functionality to the Camera Control button it sits over, while preserving the sleek lines of the case; however, none of the physical buttons are protected, but have cutouts instead.

Pitaka also makes the Cairn, which is essentially the same case with added corner bumpers and button covers for even greater protection, at the expense of the ultra-slim form factor.

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Best budget iPhone 18 Pro Max case

The Gripmunk with MagSafe is Smartish's most basic iPhone 18 Pro Max case (aside from the GripMunk without MagSafe), but there's little price difference between them, and I'd pay the extra for the version that is compatible with magnetic chargers.

There may be cheaper cases than the Gripmunk, but probably not at this level of quality. It is available in a wide range of colors, both opaque and translucent, with bold and striking designs that not only look great, but also provide great value.

Despite the low asking price, the case edges are gently contoured with finger-shaped indents for grip, and the case offers plenty of protection; Smartish says that it has been 'drop-tested 50 times from a six-foot height'. I can't claim to have tried this myself with my own phone!

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Best iPhone 18 Pro Max case for video

The ESR Atelier case's party trick is that its protective camera lip is hinged to form a neat flip-out kickstand that props the phone up at a comfortable viewing angle for watching movies, YouTube, or hands-free FaceTime calls. The mechanism is strong enough to support the phone either hinge side up or down in horizontal orientations, and while it will also prop the phone vertically, the viewing angle is rather shallow in this orientation.

The main material is a "Vegan leather", which comes in burgundy, misty blue, light grey, and black, to complement the iPhone 18 Pro Max's colorways. It feels nice and grippy in the hand and has a claimed 3x military-grade drop protection from up to 11 feet. MagSafe compatibility is present and correct, for a secure and reliable hold on stands and chargers.

ESR also makes a Magnetic Hybrid Case, which has the same hinged stand mechanism as the Atelier, but is instead made from a translucent plastic "Clearguard" material. This one is a little cheaper and offers enhanced 4x military-grade protection, which is a good thing, as the smooth, plasticky finish doesn't feel as grippy (nor look nearly as nice) as the Atelier.

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Best iPhone 18 Pro Max case for carrying cards

Many of us use our iPhones to pay for everything these days, but it's wise to carry a traditional credit card for emergencies, not to mention other everyday fantastic plastic, such as a driver's license, key passes, and so on. The Wallet Slayer Vol. 1 can stash up to four cards in a slot at the rear, which are held firmly in place with a spring mechanism, but can be easily slid out via a thumb recess.

The front of the phone and rear camera are well-protected by raised bumpers, and air pockets provide additional protection against drops and impacts. The phone's Camera Control is exposed but deeply recessed to enable direct operation.

There are various colors and patterns available, as is par for the course with Smartish gear. It certainly adds less bulk than folding wallet-style cases, but the ability to stash cards in the slot around the back means this case forgoes MagSafe functionality.

If you want the best of both worlds, Smartish also makes a Side Hustle Vault that snaps onto other cases (or the bare phone itself) via MagSafe, though it's a little bulkier than the all-in-one case. It has the added benefit of RFID protection, so your card details can't be read by unscrupulous types in crowded places.

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Best leather iPhone 18 Pro Max case

For a touch of timeless elegance, nothing beats the look, feel, and smell of leather. Casebellé's cases are made from responsibly sourced materials from Leather Working Group Gold-rated tanneries. Color options include Burgundy, Racing Green, Umber, and Glacier Blue to match the latest colorways of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max series, and there are a couple of distinct leather finishes on offer, too.

The Timeless Luxe Collection is crafted from full-grain Italian nappa leather and maintains a smooth, pristine look that resists daily scuffs and water. But if you ask me, the best leather cases are those that age with time, and the Vintage Luxe Collection is made with Tuscan vegetable-tanned vachetta leather to develop a rich, personalized patina with everyday wear and tear. You can personalize the cases further by embossing them with up to four initials in gold, silver, or a 'blind' stamp.

But it's not all style over substance. Powerful N52SH magnets ensure reliable MagSafe compatibility, while a plush internal microfiber lining safeguards the phone's back glass from scratches. Drop protection is ensured by a raised screen lip, reinforced corners, and a 1.8 mm bumper to shield the camera lenses.

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Best iPhone 18 Pro Max case for grip

A step up from the Smartish Gripmunk case, the Gripzilla has more deeply contoured finger grooves and textured sides designed to help you grip the case firmly in hand. But should the worst happen, and you allow the phone to slip from your grip, this case offers an even greater level of protection, with raised corner bumpers and built-in air pockets to better absorb shocks from drops.

Unlike the Gripmunk, the Camera Control is covered with a conductive strip, rather than being open, which still enables you to use the camera functionality. It's fully MagSafe compatible and comes in a range of bold and beautiful designs.

The enhanced protection does add quite a bit of bulk to the size and shape of the case, but it feels very well guarded. If you're particularly accident-prone, this could well be the case for you!

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How to choose the best iPhone 18 Pro Max case

I've tested these cases on the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but there are variants for the Pro, Air, and standard iPhone too, so make sure you pick the correct one for your phone model. The dimensions of the iPhone 18 and 17 Pro Max are identical, so a case labelled for one will work just as well on the other. If you're upgrading to the iPhone 18 Pro Max from an iPhone 17 Pro Max, you could simply use your existing case, although with the 18's camera bump being a little deeper, an older 17 case may not offer optimum protection. However, if you're upgrading from an iPhone 16 Pro Max or earlier, then you will need a new case.

A good level of protection should be your top priority. All the cases in this guide are from reputable manufacturers that claim to have proven the integrity of their products with drop and impact tests. I advise steering clear of cheap unbranded cases.

For many, MagSafe compatibility is a must; so many cases have a built-in magnetic ring that enhances the attachment properties of the phone to chargers and stands, while ensuring inductive charging remains efficient. Ensure your chosen case supports this feature if you plan to use MagSafe chargers or accessories.

Last but certainly not least, there's the look of the thing. You may prefer a translucent design that lets the beauty of your phone show through, sleek lines that show off its form factor, or bold patterns that mirror your personality. Helping you pick the best for you is the purpose of this guide!

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How we test

I have personally tried and tested all the cases in this guide, checking for a snug fit, evaluating their grippiness and protective capabilities, ensuring that all the controls work correctly and MagSafe charging is not impeded, and reporting on their standout features and unique selling points.

But I also understand that a phone case is more than just a protective accessory; its look is important – after all, you don't want to encase your beautifully engineered smartphone in something boring to behold – so I tell you what I think of its design qualities too!

Other iPhone accessory guides
Best iPhone charger
Best iPhone gimbal
Best iPhone printer
Best iPhone microphone

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The iPhone Duo (or iPhone Fold) brings inferior specs and a new premium price – the only thing it will do is separate real photographers from so-called "Pro" customers who just buy the top-of-the-line without thinking what that means.

Until now, the top of the line – measured in cost – was also the best iPhone for photography. It had Apple's best arrangement of cameras, a three camera array, and I had little trouble persuading myself to "invest" in one each year. OK, a depreciating asset isn't really an investment, but I could at least tell myself that I'd have the best cameras I could get without leaving iOS.

Now the advantages of a folding phone – principally a larger inside screen for enjoying content and for productivity – come at a compromise: fewer cameras in the array. Specifically, there is no telephoto camera, which is the one which boasted a similar EFL to a traditional portrait lens and (when cropped and digitally zoomed) also provided half-decent telephoto.

So if you use the device to create content, you're better off with one of the iPhone 18 Pros. If you use it to view it then the folding phone will afford you a bigger screen. So there is no one 'best' iPhone.

And that makes it very difficult for me, and, oddly, it brings another voice that usually loses out entirely in the excitement that comes when a new iPhone is announced. The voice that says; "If the choice isn't obvious, why buy a new iPhone at all?"

That isn't to say I'm going to switch platforms. I regularly test Android-based phones, and I have no problem with the system, but I'm also well into the Apple ecosystem and I find I get on better with it.

And that hints a little at the situation I suspect many will now find themselves in.

Apple has gone to great pains to cultivate an ecosystem – if you own an Apple phone you'll find life is a good deal easier if you also have an Apple Mac computer and (if you're so inclined) an Apple Watch, Apple's own headphones, and an iPad.

And, though it isn't always easy for people who grew up with computers at the top of the tech tree, the iPhone is the key to this empire. Despite a lot of diversification, 50% of Apple's $416 billion revenue last year came from the iPhone – and there are thought to be around 1.5 billion active iPhones out there.

For contrast, the iPad made $28 billion and the Mac $33 billion in the same period.

Even if you can't conceivably afford the best of every part of your Apple ecosystem (and who needs a fully specced out Mac Studio with a five-figure price tag?) it was easy to have the best iPhone, and so the best 'key'.

Having the best phone was something that was within reach for many, and a pretty simple choice, which is why around 40-50% of sales come from the Pro or Pro Max line, and the Pro Max is routinely the top-selling single flagship phone.

I strongly feel that by making the premium phone a compromise, Apple has shot itself in the foot.

If I buy the folding phone, I'll feel I've finally got a new and exciting form factor. But the first time I go to take a photo of something a little distant from me I'll be disappointed.

And for a device that carries the price premium, there shouldn't be a compromise. Certainly not one that doesn't seem beyond the bounds of possibility to fix.

After all, the cameras tend to be on a stick-out module anyway, so it can't be that difficult to add three rather than two.

So why would Apple do this? Sure it'll save a gram or two and perhaps even make the phone a little more compact, but forcing me and others to make a difficult choice – essentially to have no one 'best' phone – is going to be hard work.

It won't make life easy for Apple Store staff, for a start.

And it'll create disappointment among many buyers too. Especially photographers, who will have seen the iPhone 18 Pro opening Apple's event on September 9 – and heard from new CEO John Ternus about a true adjustable aperture in the camera.

The iPhone 18 Pro also gets a 6-Core A20 Pro CPU with 7-core GPU and accelerated "Neural Accelerators" and 32-core Neural Engine cores, like the Duo, but only on the Pro presentation did Apple discuss thermal management which (hopefully) will keep the SOC cool this time. (I experienced a lot of overheating with my iPhone 17 Pro Max on holiday in Spain last August.)

The iPhone Duo also has slightly inferior battery times and, despite fast charging, tops up only 5 rather than 6 hours playback from the same 5 minutes charging.

The "Biggest camera improvement in years" forced Apple to explain the Aperture to consumers, but the 100mm EFL lens is there.

The main camera on the 18 Pro Max is upgraded with a "48MP Fusion" main camera with 6-blade variable Aperture (f/1.48 - f/4). There is a new Pro interface to access this, and timelapse is upgraded to Dolby Vision HDR 4K.

The Duo's main camera, though, is a f/1.6 fixed aperture (though the phones share the same ultra-wide camera).

The camera also boasts subject tracking similar to that on action cameras that can handle subjects leaving and re-entering the frame.

Surveys (and sales in the Android world) have shown that not many customers are interested in folding phones. But perhaps the compromises are the reason.

Then again, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 managed three cameras last year.

Perhaps Apple will eventually address it with a Pro version with the same 'sacrifice' of a little more weight for more capable cameras?

So everyone who buys the first generation will be forced to upgrade in the end?

That's disappointingly plausible, isn't it?

Apple's launch also talked about "Rethinking design principles that have been set for years." How long will it take to recover from the inevitable dent to years of use experience?

In exchange, the main screen is only 50% bigger than the iPhone Pro Max, while you lose Face ID – it only has Touch ID.

Though there is another feature: Apple also announced "Handoff" which will let you attach a second phone to the same phone number.

So perhaps the solution Apple wants is for you carry two iPhones.

$1199 for iPhone Pro 256GB will be available for pre-order on Saturday, while the Duo will be $1999 and not available for pre-order until October. Will it be the best iPhone for photography? The Duo doesn't seem to want to be!

Apple has introduced new versions of the photographer's favorite Mac Mini featuring the new M6 and M5 Pro processors, while increasing prices significantly. At the same time the premium Mac Studio has seen the arrival of the new chips too.

Apple's M-series processors (based on ARM architecture) are divided into the generation, e.g. M5, M6 etc. while the more powerful versions of each chip feature the suffix 'Pro' and 'Ultra', each offering more cores and bandwidth.

The M6 features 12 cores (six 'efficiency' cores, four 'performance' and two to manage the system) as well as a 12-core GPU. In addition it has a 16-core 'Neural Engine' to help with on-board AI and push memory bandwidth to 153 GB/s, plus a built in 'Media Engine' for accelerated encoding and decoding in H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW.

The M5 Pro might start with an earlier sounding name, but takes all this a step further with 307 GB/s memory bandwidth from either 15 CPU and 16 GPU cores, or 18 CPU and 20 GPU cores.

The M6 can handle RAM options of 16GB, 24GB or 32GB, while – even in the Mac Mini – the Pro also supports 48GB and 64GB options.

In terms of storage, the cheapest M6 starts at just 256GB, expandable up to 2TB; the M5 Pro versions start at 512GB and rise to 8TB.

You can connect up to three external displays (if you can find the ports!)

The price of entry has changed quite significantly, though. The previous Mac Mini (16GB RAM, 256 storage) launched at $599 (though was pushed up to $799 in Apple's May price rises). The new M6 with the same memory and storage configuration is $899 / £799.

Depending on how you look at that, the price of the new Mac Mini is 50% again on top of the price just a year ago, or 12.5% more than you'd have paid for the basic model last week.

In exchange for that Apple says you are looking at a "20 percent more multithreaded performance," on its new 2nm chip process (M5 and before are 3nm).

I have to say that certainly wouldn't be enough for me to upgrade from an M6 or even an M4 Mac Mini. Similarly, the 10% improvement in memory bandwidth doesn't seem a phenomenal leap, so while it's great news Apple can improve efficiency with tiny transistors, and creators can still love the Mac Mini, it's an incremental improvement that Apple is charging you for.

That said, some with heavy video processing tasks might see it differently; Apple has tests that find it "up to 4.8x faster than M4" in certain processing contexts. The flip side is that, since the Mac Mini is the entry point for the Mac range, the company has also effectively made it harder for those who don't need that power to choose Mac.

Will it be the right choice? Can it remain the best desktop computer for photo editing? I'm not certain. The Mac Neo laptop is now the cheapest entry-level Mac.

The new Mac Mini and Mac Studio (with M5 Max and M5 Ultra) models are now available for pre-order, and will ship on September 22.

This will be CEO Tim Cook's last product announcement; the new iPhones (with their own price hikes) are expected to be unveiled by incoming CEO John Ternus in two weeks.

Meta has found itself in hot water thanks to growing concerns about the privacy implications surrounding the Meta Glasses with built in cameras. Apple is planning on putting cameras into AirPods, but solving privacy by not using the cameras to take photos or video.

What is it for then? Apple's integration of cameras into AirPods is designed he process might be quite advanced, as the leaking of this promo video – doing the rounds everywhere today – shows.

The video in the tweet shows Siri's upcoming "visual intelligence" feature, so the cameras are helping it see the world around the user but not being used to record images, which (arguably) solves privacy concerns.

It certainly would silence the immediate worries of many about capturing photos and video by stealth.

Except, well, there is a bit of a problem.

Firstly the video, leaked by @Aaron, doesn't appear to feature the same camera lenses seen in some other rumor images? Is it a fake? That'd be my immediate suspicion were it not for the fact that the video has been reposted online by probably the most famous Apple rumor merchant, Mark Gurman (see his re-post on x.com here).

That lends a degree of credibility. Not only that, but according to Gurman and other sources, Apple has been investigating these privacy issues and perhaps even delayed its own Meta-like glasses as a result.

These were internally codenamed N50, but Apple has had to face the reality that courts in New York, among others, have established bans (not to mention some casinos). It's also true, of course, that the Apple Vision Pro goggles don't seem likely to win the mainstream market.

AirTags were once also associated with stalking – privacy-related publicity seems like an area Apple is keen to avoid, even if it means being slow to the mark in this fast-growing category.

All of which adds up to Apple wanting to get a product out in this growing space, but having good reasons not to get involved in ongoing privacy debates. So, in short, restricting access to cameras to the AI and not a camera app makes sense.

It also, of course, sidesteps any discussion about image quality from such a small device.

Will the cameras actually see the world well from the ear? That'll be another question for another day...

As well as Meta, other brands are releasing glasses. Google is expected to this fall, featuring Gemini integration, built by Samsung and powered by Qualcomm chips. They will bear no relation to the Google Glass I wasted my money on to be part of the future in 2013!

Photography is subjective. At least, that is what we tell ourselves when nobody likes a picture we were particularly proud of. But if you have ever wondered what an entirely impartial, unfeeling robot thinks of your pictures, Adobe’s Project Indigo camera app is ready to offer an opinion.

Adobe has added an experimental AI Playground to Project Indigo, its iPhone camera app designed around manual controls, computational photography, and a more natural, SLR-style image. One of its headline features is Photo Guidance, which analyzes a photo and explains what worked, what did not, and how the image could be improved.

It also features a Pixel-esque mode that can suggest how to reshoot the scene while you are still standing in front of it, potentially recommending a different position, framing, lens, or approach to the light. Adobe says it is refining the system so that it understands the limitations of individual phones and does not suggest impossible changes, such as adjusting the aperture on a fixed-aperture smartphone lens.

In theory, this sounds genuinely useful. Photography books, courses, and camera clubs have been offering constructive criticism for decades, so putting a virtual tutor inside a camera app makes a certain amount of sense. Feedback while you are still at the location could be far more helpful and genuine than an AI editor “fixing” everything later.

However, yes, there is something slightly bleak about taking a photograph and immediately asking an algorithm whether it approves. Photography is not a science, and some of the most memorable images succeed because they ignore conventional rules. An AI trained to spot familiar ideas about composition, lighting, and subject separation could easily reward technically tidy photographs while discouraging anything genuinely original.

More Gen AI

Adobe is also adding other AI Playground features to the app, including object removal, simulated shallow depth of field, lighting adjustments, artistic styles, and a Custom Edit box for text prompts. Adobe is initially using Google’s cloud-based Nano Banana model, with generated results limited to roughly 2K pixels per side and an internet connection required.

For now, access is free, requires no Adobe sign-in, and is being offered to only a small percentage of Project Indigo users for a few weeks. The feature appears after updating to version 1.1, but only works with photographs captured inside Indigo.

Adobe says the experiment could be expanded, extended, or eventually turned into a paid feature. Until then, a lucky group of iPhone photographers can discover whether AI thinks their masterpiece is genuinely inspired, or whether they should take two steps left and try again.

With a $10 spend on an off-brand accessory, and judicious use of a compressed air cleaning can, I've solved the problems that were starting to put me off Apple's AirPods forever.

I'm on my second set of AirPod Pros, and my third set of AirPods overall, because when they're working they sound great and are so handy that it's difficult to imagine anything else. But, until I discovered this little accessory, I was reaching my limits.

When I spend that much on a product, I expect it to be perfect. Part of that, of course, is having a very long (if intermittent) memory.

I don't think the legendary MDR-W10 headphones for the 'Sport Light' Sony Walkman cost as much as Apple's – though they're pushing $100 on eBay for retro collectors these days.

The AirPods, though, aren't just for listening to music – or even just content on your phone. The AirPods Pro include a microphone that can be used to record audio, which is useful when combined with some of the best action cameras.

(A word of caution here – the latest DJI Osmo Action and Insta360 Ace Pros are in this list, but not all action cams are – so check first).

There are problems with the AirPods – especially the AirPods Pro – though.

Not in the first moment. Opening the box and putting them on has all the lustrous joy of any new Apple product. This is a company that understands how to make its customers feel as premium as the pricing and the product line.

Over time, though, the ear tips – the piece of the AirPods Pro that fits into the ear (there are several sizes in the box, so you get the right fit) inevitably picks up natural dirt. This seems to seep into the rubber, too, so that the grip on your ear lessens and the pod itself seems a little looser.

That just means you need to push it back in a little more often as you're on the move. A minor irritation.

Much more serious is the fact that, eventually, I found both of my AirPods Pros started whistling and squealing at me. The left one at first, though after a while both were guilty.

Not because of temporarily confused Active Noise Cancellation or Bluetooth interference – issues that can be fixed with a quick reset – but presumably because dust or debris was making its way inside the pod itself.

This does not seem an easy fix for a device that has already left me feeling guilty simply because I, like virtually all humans, produce cerumen (ear wax). I find myself starting to understand why some, like my wife – a recording artist – opt for big headphones (these still include a microphone).

She has to be able to listen back to her work (Apple Music, Spotifty) reliably at quality and probably doesn't need the headphones screaming and whistling to her just for being human. Not, of course, that she has any earwax!

Nonetheless, I didn't want to buy new headphones and I prefer the compact AirPods anyway – easier to use while filming. So…

The $8 solution

I decided to replace the ear tip, to remove any stray dried wax that might be vibrating inside the headphones and confusing them.

I found the "Inesore 5 Pairs Replacement Ear Tips for AirPods Pro 3 with Hole for Noise Reduction" (admittedly, I don't think that's a great bit of product naming), which included a "cleaning pen."

• 🇺🇸 Inesore 5 Pairs Replacement Ear Tips for AirPods Pro 3 (Amazon USA Link)
• 🇬🇧 5 Pairs Replacement Ear Tips for AirPods Pro 3 with Hole for Noise Reduction (Amazon UK Link)

In a matter of moments I popped off the old earbuds. I've done this in the past but, crucually, this time I used the "pen" – actually a tool with fold-out brushes and a silicone point.

This enabled me to clean the inner meshes where there was visible wax buildup. I also gave them a bit of a blow with a can of compressed air (in the past this has, on its own, bought me a few days without the annoying whistling).

After a few moments of loving attention, I popped the AirPods back into my ears… and they sounded entirely new again.

This brush tool that I hadn't even been looking for (it was the new ear tips I had been searching for) feels like it has restored my faith in these products just as I was on the verge of giving up.

And it was a lot cheaper (proportionally) than maintaining my camera when the viewfinder was cracked!

There's a particular kind of photograph that only a curious animal and a very wide-angle lens can produce together.

German photographer Marcel Ohneberger's giraffe portrait is exactly that: an enormous, looming head fills most of the frame, its neck curving away into a distant landscape of grassland and hills, while a single dark eye stares down the lens.

The image has earned Ohneberger an Honorable Mention in the 2026 iPhone Photography Awards, now in its 19th year and one of the longest-running smartphone photography competitions in the world.

Technical approach

Ohneberger shot the image on an iPhone 13, using the device's back dual wide camera at its 1.54mm focal length (roughly 13mm equivalent in full-frame terms). That ultra-wide angle of view is the key to the entire photograph.

At such a short focal length, getting close to a subject produces dramatic perspective distortion, exaggerating whatever is nearest the lens while pushing everything else into the distance.

Here, the giraffe's nose and eye balloon toward the viewer, while its body and legs shrink dramatically at the far end of the frame.

The rest of the settings are unremarkable by design: 1/720 sec, f/2.4 and ISO32.

That fast shutter speed suggests bright daylight conditions, freezing any movement from the giraffe as it leaned in toward the camera, while the low ISO indicates plenty of available light, keeping the image clean and detailed.

There's no artificial manipulation required here; just the iPhone's fixed wide-angle lens doing what it does best at close range.

Why it works

The real skill in this image lies not in the settings but in the moment itself. Giraffes are naturally curious animals, and getting one to approach a handheld phone closely enough to fill the frame like this takes patience, calm behaviour, and a bit of luck.

Ohneberger's positioning – low and close, angled up slightly into the giraffe's face – turns an everyday wildlife encounter into something closer to a caricature, emphasizing the animal's improbable proportions and giving the photograph a sense of humour that straight telephoto shots rarely achieve.

The exaggerated curve of the neck, stretching back toward a grazing landscape dotted with acacia-style trees and distant hills, adds a sense of scale and place even as the foreground dominates the composition.

It's a reminder that ultra-wide lenses, often associated with landscapes and architecture, can be just as effective for animal portraiture when you get close enough.

The big picture

This year's IPPAwards drew thousands of entries from more than 140 countries, with winners selected across 12 categories including Animals, Nature, Portrait, and Landscape.

The overall Grand Prix, Photographer of the Year, went to Robyn Jensen of the Cayman Islands for a nature image shot on iPhone 15 Pro, while Gellert Gombai of Hungary took the Gold Award for an intimate candid portrait.

Ohneberger's giraffe portrait is a fitting entry in a competition built around the idea that strong photography depends less on kit and more on the eye behind it.

Shot on a phone that's now several generations old, it proves that a close encounter, good timing, and an understanding of wide lenses can produce something far more memorable than tech specs alone would suggest.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from July 2026 to January 2027.

At first glance, this could almost be two lions rearing against the night sky, their manes rendered in molten gold. Look closer, though, and what Chinese photographer Ziqiang Luo has actually captured is something rooted deep in folk tradition: a fire-based performance art still performed at festivals and celebrations across the country, in which sparks, flame, and molten metal are transformed into fleeting, sculptural forms.

Luo's photograph captures the essence of what makes these performances so photogenic: the sparks and flame briefly hold a shape, almost animal-like in this instance, before dissolving into the dark.

The image earned him an Honorable Mention in the Life Style category of the 2026 iPhone Photography Awards, now in its 19th year as one of the longest-running smartphone photography competitions in the world.

Technical approach

Luo shot the image at 15.66mm physical focal length, equivalent to roughly 223mm in full-frame terms, using the iPhone 16 Pro's telephoto system. That last figure tells you a lot.

After all, the phone's native optical telephoto tops out at 120mm equivalent (5x zoom). So reaching 223mm equivalent means Luo was almost certainly using its digital zoom to extend beyond the optical range, cropping into the telephoto lens's output.

For a fire performance, keeping a safe distance from the sparks and flame while still framing tightly makes that extended reach essential rather than optional.

The rest of the settings – 1/200sec at f/2.8, and ISO 50 – are well suited to a bright, high-contrast night scene.

The moderately fast shutter speed was enough to freeze individual sparks in motion, giving the fine, granular texture visible throughout the image, while the very low ISO of 50 kept the image clean and avoided noise that would have been magnified by the extended digital zoom.

Against a totally black background, the camera's exposure could concentrate entirely on the fire itself, letting the sparks blow out into pure, saturated orange without needing to compromise for any darker areas of the frame.

Why it works

Ultimately, the image's power comes from the ambiguity between form and material. Rendered almost entirely in black and burning orange, the flying sparks coalesce into two distinct, animal-like silhouettes that face one another symmetrically, a shape the eye wants to read as living creatures, even while the texture of every surface confirms they're made of fire and ash.

That tension between recognisable form and pure combustion is what elevates this from a documentary shot of a folk performance into something closer to abstract art.

The symmetry does real compositional work here too. By capturing two roughly mirrored plumes of sparks facing each other, Luo transforms a fleeting, chaotic burst of fire into something that reads as deliberate and almost ceremonial, fitting for an art form so closely tied to celebration and ritual.

The big picture

This year's IPPAWARDS drew thousands of entries from more than 140 countries, with winners selected across 12 categories including Abstract, Animals, City Life, and the Life Style category in which Luo's image was recognised.

The overall Grand Prix, Photographer of the Year, went to Robyn Jensen of the Cayman Islands for a nature image shot on iPhone 15 Pro, while Gellert Gombai of Hungary took the Gold Award for an intimate candid portrait.

Overall, Luo's photograph is a striking example of documentary and abstract photography meeting in one frame. A smartphone pushed to the limits of its digital zoom, capturing a centuries-old fire tradition at the precise instant sparks form a shape that feels wonderfully alive.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from July 2026 to January 2027.

At first glance, many would assume that this dramatic image of an erupting volcano was captured using a professional DSLR or mirrorless camera.

The photograph, showing glowing lava pouring down the slopes of a volcano beneath a star-filled sky in Yepocapa, Chimaltenango, Guatemala, has just been awarded the Grand Prix at the 2026 iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) – the world's longest-running competition dedicated exclusively to iPhone photography.

Photographer Robyn Jensen created the winning image using an iPhone 15 Pro, proving that one of the most demanding scenes in photography can be captured on a phone camera that's already three years old.

Why this image is so impressive

Night-time volcanic eruptions are among the most challenging subjects that any camera can capture. The scene combines blazing-hot lava, deep shadows, drifting ash, smoke, and a star-filled sky – all within a single frame.

Even high-end cameras can struggle with such an enormous range between the brightest and darkest parts of the image.

Shot at 1 sec, f/1.8 and ISO12500, the photographer prioritized exposing for the brilliant lava erupting from the crater.

The surrounding mountains intentionally fall into darkness, simplifying the composition and naturally drawing the eye towards the explosion of light, while still preserving the stars overhead.

The iPhone behind the winning image

The iPhone 15 Pro, introduced in 2023, remains one of the best iPhones for photography thanks to its stabilized 48MP main camera, advanced computational photography and excellent low-light performance.

Although most camera phones still can't match the sensor size or dynamic range of today's best mirrorless cameras, Apple's computational wizardry has narrowed the gap in recent years.

The iPhone 15 Pro's main camera, combined with Night mode and advanced image processing, gives photographers more flexibility.

However, capturing a fleeting volcanic eruption against a star-filled sky requires careful timing, exposure and composition – something no amount of AI can replace.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from July 2026 to January 2027.

Apple has increased orders for its new foldable phone to 10 million, up from previous targets of 7 or 8 million. This news comes at the same time that other major phone brands are slashing their production plans.

According to Nikkei Asia, Apple has booked parts and components for 80 million phones – across its whole late 2026 range, which is expected to include an iPhone Pro and Pro Max, and Apple's first-ever foldable.

How can Apple be putting its orders up while other big names like Xiaomi and Oppo are reducing orders? These are big firms producing a lot of phones on the global market, but Apple is the biggest name with the strongest bargaining power.

It doesn't mean Apple customers won't face higher prices, as we've seen. Tim Cook has already increased Apple prices, but this might not affect the company's bid to remain "cool" – key to the new CEO John Ternus's mission.

Apple traditionally launches a new generation of phones in September, regardless of demand for the existing models.

An executive of an Apple supplier is quoted as saying: "The demand for the iPhone 17 series in the markets is still quite good, but we are told to purposely reserve common chips and components for the iPhone 18 series,"

There is another way to read this, however.

Apple's bargaining power is the strongest in the business, so the company might choose to spread its launches out, taking advantage of the fact it can order more chips and save its launches (or some of them) for Spring 2027.

The delay would mean Apple gets to enjoy the success of its existing models even longer – backed by the advantage it has in getting memory. It could then throw all the fanfare of a big launch against any potential competition from the large Chinese and other companies in Spring, and stay ahead.

It might also be the only solution to the engineering issues that have, according to some rumors, plagued the folding phone, and might be especially problematic when large volume production is required.

Nevertheless, according to sources, the more likely releases for the early 2027 window at the moment are the standard (non-Pro) iPhone 18 and a new iPhone Air.

That's interesting for several reasons – not least because some of us thought that the iPhone Air might just be a way of testing half a folding phone on customers, but if there is a new model this soon, perhaps Apple is in it for the long haul.

If you're into the Apple ecosystem, you'll likely need to decide what kind of phone you want – and be prepared to wait if a think light 'Air' or the cheaper iPhone 18 doesn't arrive in the September wave.

Apple sold more smartphones than Samsung, the next largest company, in 2025 and in order to maintain that lead it is devoting a lot of energy to the supply chain.

It is known to have made connections beyond China, too, with companies including Japanese glass fibre company Nittobo, seeming looking to get the lead on components needed by chip manufacturers.

That is a reminder that Apple – a company which produces its own chip designs, after all – is also in a complicated game against the likes of Nvidia.

Will it be worth waiting for the folding iPhone? And just how long a wait? Check our guide to the best iPhone for photography now – and the best folding phone.

The popular video editor Final Cut Pro has just gotten a refresh containing what Apple calls “one of the most requested” tools: The ability to generate captions automatically.

The AI-powered caption tool comes along with a long list of AI tools added to Apple’s Creator Studio on June 30. Apple Creator Studio launched earlier this year, putting Final Cut Pro, along with Pixelmator Pro, into a multi-app subscription.

Apple says that the new Generate Captions tool uses on-device AI to automatically transcribe the video’s audio and place the subtitles into the timeline. The tool gives users options to customize the style, font, color, and position of those captions.

Automatically generating captions isn’t the only on-device AI coming to Final Cut Pro. On Macs, video editors also gain a new Auto Mask tool, which automatically selects objects and subjects. Apple says the tool can even mask out trickier areas like hair, sky, and foliage.

The new Auto Mask tool also works alongside the existing Magnetic Mask, a tool for identifying and tracking masks.

Apple says the video editor’s Match Color tool has been “reimagined,” allowing creators to choose a reference frame and match another video to the colors.

Final Cut Camera, Apple’s free iPhone and iPad capture app, also now supports Clean HDMI Out for external recorders and monitors, along with expanded ProRes options.

The Apple Creator Studio updates give the photo editor Pixelmator Pro the ability to interact directly with other apps in the software suite, including sending photos to Final Cut Pro to use as thumbnails.

Apple’s launch of the Creator Studio subscription was met with worry that the popular video editor could move away from the one-time purchase. With the June 30 update, Apple notes that one-time purchases are still available for Final Cut Pro as well as Pixelmator Pro, along with the multi-app subscription option.

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According to the most well-known Apple-gossip source, Mark Gurman, the company's incoming CEO, John Ternus, will be trying to bring back the company's sense of cool by focusing on the look and feel of products.

Cameras are set to be a huge part of that new wave of cool, too, apparently. One of the drivers of that cool will be AirPods with cameras in them (see Gurman's pay-walled story for Bloomberg).

Other leakers have nicknamed called these 'AirPods Ultra', including YouTuber Matt Talks Tech, as you can see below:

They're in development now, although they are not expected to arrive until 2027. They are one of three significant new product categories we’re expecting, which are all perceived as relatively new and exciting – and that Apple has, until now, kept out of.

The others are folding phones and smart camera glasses (as opposed to the sophisticated Vision Pro) – both of which are, of course, camera-equipped.

Personally, I do tend to buy Apple products – I'm well into the ecosystem – and I enjoyed trying the Vision Pro, but I didn't find myself reaching into my pocket for the large sum of cash to buy something I wouldn't actually use.

Sure, the equivalently-priced MacBook Pro wasn't revolutionary – but it does a lot more of what I actually need to do, day to day, and I don't see that changing for a while.

But smart glasses like those from Meta are a price that people can comfortably reach and – thanks to piggy-backing on the Ray-Ban brand – are definitely cool. So it's easy to see why Apple would see the need to compete there.

As for the last one of the three, there are already a good number of folding phones on the market – and have been for quite some time.

We were expecting Apple to launch one this September, also rumored to be called the iPhone Ultra, as software developers have found evidence in the next version of iOS.

The Independent has reported, however, that the production line now suggests the phone is more likely to arrive in early 2027 – and cost over $2,000.

That follows news from Apple – discreetly left in the hands of the outgoing CEO – that all iPhone prices will be on the rise, too.

Tim Cook told the Wall Street Journal that prices would “inevitably” rise with the arrival of the iPhone 18. The company traditionally launches a new phone every September, but what is being called an ‘AI boom’ is pushing up the prices of computer chips.

Now, personally, I wasn't that sure about a folding phone anyway. I really want to be convinced that the screen isn't going to be damaged or full of dust. But now I'm starting to worry about my wallet, too!

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Can't wait until 2027? Check our guides to the best camera glasses and the best folding phones.

It's been rumored that Apple could be planning to reduce the size of the iPhone’s dynamic island by around 50% for the iPhone 18 Pro, shrinking its width from 20.76mm down to 13.49mm. This would help enlarge the overall screen area of the iPhone's display, although even at this shrunken size, the island would still considerably wider than the tiny selfie camera punch holes now sported by the vast majority of Android phones. As for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max's other island - the camera island - that's expected to remain the same as on the iPhone 17 Pro, stretching the full width of the rear panel.

We’ve not yet had any compelling tips that suggest changes to the image sensors in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. Instead, there have been persistent rumors that Apple could be planning to fit a variable aperture lens to the iPhone 18 Pro's primary camera. Sounds intriguing, but I remain sceptical that this will have a significant impact on image quality. Several Android phones have previously used variable aperture lenses, but they've yet to really make an impact. With a camera phone, you almost always want as much light as possible to reach the sensor, meaning the aperture will always be set at its widest. Narrowing the aperture does theoretically give you more depth of field, but the small 1/1.28" image sensor in the iPhone 17 Pro's primary camera already produces a large depth of field by virtue of being relatively small. There will be very few scenarios where you'd need to stop down the lens to increase depth of field still further, especially as this would also require longer shutter speeds and/or increased ISO sensitivity, and therefore more image noise.

Another report claims the next iPhone Pro and Pro Max could receive LPTO+ displays. These OLED panels utilize IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) transistors to help lower display power consumption, while also increasing refresh rates. The tech enables granular control over the current sent to each OLED pixel, so the display can better adapt its power consumption to on-screen content. It's also claimed that the iPhone 18 might be one of the first phones to feature Samsung's latest M16 OLED screen technology, which promise better brightness, power efficiency, and more accurate colors.

iOS 27 is expected to bring numerous improvements to Siri, including a new Siri AI mode for the Camera app, while Image Playground may be able to create wallpaper backgrounds based on your prompts.

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are due to launch in September, assuming Apple follows its usual release schedule. Pricing is rumored to rise due to increasing costs in the component supply chain, most notably that of NAND flash memory, but it's also claimed that the cost of a variable aperture camera lens could be much as 50% higher than the fixed aperture glass used in current iPhones.

Story credit: Phone Arena

You may not have heard of Core Image RAW – but if you've shot or opened a RAW photo on an iPhone, you've already used it. Now, the software that Apple uses to process RAW photos is getting a key upgrade to reduce noise.

Apple has announced the latest updates to Core Image RAW, the software that processes RAW images taken on iPhones and handles RAW processing in Apple image editing tools. This software is used everywhere from the native Photos app to some third-party apps like Pixelmator Pro.

Core Image RAW 9 was announced in a YouTube video released earlier this week, and is slated for rollout as part of macOS 27 and iOS 27 across Apple devices and image editing apps in September of this year.

The major upgrade is the software’s ability to de-noise RAW images, now heavily driven by machine learning (ML).

By infusing ML, an artificial intelligence (AI) model, into demosaicing – the process of ensuring all image pixels contain the colors red, green, and blue – RAW files appear drastically less grainy, and unwanted color artifacts are reduced.

Above: Apple imaging engineer explains the updates coming with Core Image RAW 9

In the video, Apple imaging engineer David Hayward presents several examples demonstrating the denoising power of Core Image RAW 9, but it’s the close-up image of crayons that most impresses me.

First we see the image rendered with the previous Core Image RAW 8 model, which relies on traditional, hand-tuned algorithms for demosaicing. Then we see the same image processed by the latest software version.

To my eye, the results are significantly better, with fine details becoming much clearer and grain drastically reduced, albeit with some slight softening.

Above: swipe to see Apple Core Image RAW Version 8 vs Version 9

Core Image RAW 9 is the eighth upgrade Apple has made to its RAW processing engine, with the stack of programs currently able to process RAW files captured on 846 cameras across all the major brands.

While version 9 of the processing engine is more resource-intensive for devices, iPhone photographers and people who edit RAW files in Apple applications can expect much crisper images.

In the video, which came out as Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2026 kicked off, Hayward also mentions that activating Core Image RAW 9 requires making some slight adjustments to the underlying code of some image editing apps.

However, he doesn’t state whether this will be the case once the latest iOS and macOS versions are released later this year.

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At WWDC Apple announced Spatial Refeaming, one of two new imaging tools for its iOS 27 operating system used on iPhones and iPads.

The other significant AI update was AI generative improvements to the photo editing, but the idea of being able to move the camera after taking the picture.

Rather than just AI reframing that extends the image – such as many of us have become used to in Photoshop – what Apple showed was a feature that allowed the camera to be re-positioned around the subject, with the AI re-shaping the subject using AI, and generating a suitable background generated using AI.

You can see the effect working in this example from Apple. For an example of the extend that AI is involved, look closely at the boy’s legs, and you’ll see that it has clearly created a 3D model and adjusted the image according to the spatial position that the camera would be in.

However, current iPhone users will have experienced a feature a little like this before – I know I have. Above, my wife is holding her phone with one of our wedding pictures as the background. When she chose it iOS 26 automatically added layers of depth unprompted.

The effect is more subtle, but it's effective; the AI correctly picked her and I out from the elements of the background that are further behind (the door) and kept us more or less at the same apparent distance as the flower arch, and the effect is shown whenever you tilt the phone.

So everyone is getting rightly excited about the progression – but I woudlnt' call it 'new'.

Apple also mentioned in passing that AI generation will be used to turn panoramas into Spatial Scenes for the Vision Pro, but presumably, given the product’s relatively low sales this clever bit of AI didn’t warrant a lot of discussion at the WWDC announcement!

iPhone users will likely be a lot more excited by the news that photos will load “up to” 70% faster and AirDrop will be 80% faster, with work on the CPU scheduler that should make even older phones (as far back as the iPhone 11) faster.

Check our guide to the best iPhone for photography and the best camera phones.

A striking black-and-white photograph of a shepherd guiding hundreds of sheep through swirling dust has been honored at the 2026 World Food Photography Awards, sponsored by Tenderstem Bimi Broccolini.

Captured by photographer Serkan Dogus, en route back toward the pastures of Mount Nemrut in southeastern Turkey, the image transforms an everyday farming ritual into a scene that feels almost cinematic.

The 2,150m mountain is famous for its colossal stone heads and ancient Greco-Persian statues, which have earned the site UNESCO World Heritage status.

Framed through clouds and dust, illuminated by dramatic natural light, the viewer feels alongside the shepherd. The monochrome treatment strips away distractions, drawing attention to the movement, atmosphere and scale of a journey that is repeated every day by local shepherds and their flocks.

Food in the Field Category Winner

Dusty Journey by Serkan Dogus
Gear: Sony A7R III + FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS lens
Exposure: 1/400sec, f/8, ISO 100

"Every morning, hundreds of sheep arrive in the village from the high pastures of Mount Nemrut for milking," Dogus explains.

"After the milking is completed, at sunset, the sheep set out once again toward Mount Nemrut, and their dusty journey begins."

The image demonstrates exceptional compositional control in a scene that is constantly moving and impossible to direct. However, Dogus managed to position the shepherd at the center of the frame as the flock spreads outward through the dust.

Natural light plays an equally important role. The low sun cuts through the airborne dust, creating layers of contrast that separate the subjects from the background and gives the scene remarkable depth and dimension.

Converting the image to black-and-white further strengthens its impact. Without color competing for attention, the viewer is drawn to the textures, silhouettes and patterns created by the animals, dust, and landscape.

Dogus created an image that feels timeless, cinematic and immersive while documenting an everyday moment of rural life.

See the World Food Photography Award winners

Dogus' award-winning image and all over 200 winners of this year's competition are on display from June 03-07 at the Mall Galleries in London, England. A selection of the images hand-picked by Fortnum & Mason will be displayed at its iconic store in London Piccadilly from June 09.

For more information and to see all winning images, visit the World's Food Photography Awards website.

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"The shape is something from another world," says eight-year-old photography talent Ariel Owliaei, describing the Romanesco cauliflower that caught his eye during a visit to Panzer's deli in London's St John's Wood after school.

The striking image, titled Romanesco at Panzer's, has now earned Ariel the Jamie Oliver Youth Prize (12 and Under) at the World Food Photography Awards, sponsored by Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini. Captured on a smartphone camera, the photograph impressed the judges.

This accolade is not Ariel's first success in the creative arts. The young photographer living in London, England, previously reached the grand final of the BBC 500 Words competition. At the photo award ceremony in London, Ariel was all smiles as he collected his trophy for the winning image.

Jamie Oliver Youth Prize 12 and under – Winner

Romanesco at Panzer's by Ariel Owliaei
Shot with the Apple iPhone 14 Pro via the back dual wide camera 9.86mm f/1.78

The phrase "the best camera is the one you have with you" couldn't be more fitting. When a Romanesco cauliflower caught Ariel's eye during a visit to a local deli, he had a smartphone at hand – and used it to create an award-winning image.

Ariel's image was judged by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, creative director of the Jamie Oliver Group, James Verity, and World Food Photography Awards' chair of judges, David Loftus.

He received a trophy and will be invited to attend the Jamie Oliver Headquarters in London.

See the World Food Photography Award winners

Ariel's award-winning image and all over 200 winners of this year's competition are on display from June 03-07 at the Mall Galleries in London. A selection of the images hand-picked by Fortnum & Mason will be displayed at its iconic store in London Piccadilly from June 09.

For more information and to see all winning images, visit the World's Food Photography Awards website.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from June to December.

Every year Apple’s iPhones get seemingly more jam-packed with clever features, many of which I think would be incredibly useful in a professional camera body.

While Apple’s iPhone can’t match the quality of a large APS-C or full-frame sensor and its ability to change lenses, swap batteries or memory cards, which are all desirable qualities for a working professional. The iPhone doesn’t compete with cameras in these fields, of course Apple’s silicone gets more efficient each year and so battery life is extended, and while you can’t physically swap your lenses, you can change between the three lenses for ultra wide, wide, and telephoto on the Pro and Pro Max models.

Apple’s iPhone has no need to compete with professional larger format camera sensors, it mitigates the limitations of its smaller camera sensors using clever AI software.

The iPhone 17 employs a main 48MP camera with a 1/1.28” sensor, that’s roughly four times smaller than an APS-C camera, or about 12 times smaller than a full-frame camera – this has a significant effect on its shallow depth of field and light gathering capabilities, but Apple knows these drawbacks well and uses clever software to get past its shortcomings.

The AI in the iPhone does an incredible job of producing images with a fantastically well balanced exposure using its clever Smart HDR and Deep Fusion functions to merge multiple exposures and extract detail from shadows and retain bright highlights. It also has impressive noise reduction for clean photos even in low light and vibrant bold colors – all optimised for viewing on small smartphone and tablet screens via social media. In this scenario, the iphone’s images are often good enough to go, or require minimal processing before uploading directly to socials from the phone.

Professional cameras are better for producing higher quality images that can be edited further with larger RAW files, greater dynamic range and pictures that can be blown up larger and will stand up much better to printing or viewing at large sizes – particularly important for professional photographers looking to print at big sizes such a A2, A1, A0 and beyond.

Due to the iPhone’s small sensor they’re great for pictures with a deep depth of field – so they’re brilliant for landscapes or group photos. It’s much harder to catch great sharp group photos with a professional camera because you’ll need to understand how aperture works and close it down to f/8 or /11 and then balance your exposure with shutter speed, ISO and potentially even flash to make sure the quality and exposure look good. Images on an iPhone, or indeed most smartphones, are inherently sharp due to their small sensor sizes.

For this reason a shallow depth of field is hard to achieve, but iPhone uses its AI once again to artificially blur the background with its post capture focus and depth controls. I still think this looks noticeably fake in most scenarios, but it’s getting better with every generation and I’m sure we’ll be in uncanny valley territory any day now.

One super clever AI feature I’ve become obsessed with on iPhone is Visual Look Up, which scans your photos and detects what’s inside them and searches the net to give you heaps of information on all sorts of subjects from nature, animals, landmarks, art, book, food and even translated text. A similar and newer feature on the iPhone 16 and beyond called Visual Intelligence works in real-time on your camera and scans your surroundings such as restaurants or businesses for more information.

The biggest feature where iPhone’s have the edge of professional cameras is that the photos are shot on the smartphone itself, edited in-phone and can be edited further via apps, but essentially they’re ready to go and be uploaded to social media – which is where the majority of images are headed.

For professional cameras we need to get the photos from the camera body to a phone or computer to upload them and this has always been a sticking point. While it’s admittedly better now with faster WiFi and Bluetooth connections, it’s still an extra step and one that’s governed by manufacturer’s apps which don’t always have the best reputation. As pictures on the iPhone are already on the device it has the most streamlined pipeline between pressing the shutter button and uploading to socials – this is something camera manufacturers simply can’t compete with, and smartphones aren’t capable of storing all of the massive files that take up multiple memory cards.

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A few months ago, photographers and filmmakers were mourning the closure of a little-known color-grading program called Color.io. And now, its development company Patchflyer GmbH has been bought by Apple. News of the acquisition, which took place with little to no fanfare, was broken by MacRumors and follows the company’s Founder and CEO, Jonathan Ochmann, announcing that he was moving to an undisclosed company, as reported on at the time by CineD. Well, now we know that undisclosed company was Cupertino’s most famous resident.

What was Color.io?

While Patchflyer GmbH is over a decade old, Color.io was only released in 2023. It was billed as a browser-based all-in-one RAW-image processor, 3D LUT creator and film emulator, with the latter proving a particularly big hit with its user base. The software was coveted for its realistic-looking film presets and halation effects, allowing filmmakers to turn out cinematic colors and photographers to give their digital imagery an authentic analog-era look.

What is Apple planning?

It’s not hard to ponder why Apple moved to acquire Color.io. And indeed, MacRumors has already theorized that the software could be integrated into existing Apple software such as Final Cut Pro or Pixelmator Pro. The move comes at a time when Apple seems to be shoring up its creative software offering. At the beginning of the year, Cupertino announced a subscription bundle, Creator Studio, which includes Final Cut Pro, Pixelmator Pro, and various other apps. And back in March, MacRumors also reported on the company's acquisition of video-editing plugin company, MotionVFX.

Despite Apple’s status as an absolute titan of consumer tech, its creative software offerings face fierce competition in what has become a crowded and highly competitive sphere. Not only do you have established big hitters like Adobe’s Creative Cloud and Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve, but Canva’s decision to make Affinity free has certainly made waves within the industry, and that’s before you consider the raft of AI-editing programs that are popping up. Anything that could potentially make Apple’s established creative software suite stand out seems like a good idea to me.

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Apple announced that John Ternus, Apple's existing senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will be taking over from Tim Cook as CEO on September 1, putting an end to months of rumor and discussion.

The official Apple statement is out. Now we can look back at some of Tim Cook's successes and most notable missteps (cough Apple Vision Pro, anyone?). He has been at the helm of the company since the single-camera iPhone 4 was the company's leading product, but had only just started to have an impact on compact camera sales.

Tim Cook has overseen Apple's release of the iPhone 7 Plus in 2016 – the first with multiple rear cameras – and taken the stage to announce every subsequent iPhone, but during his tenure, John Ternus has been rising the ranks and overseeing the development of some of those devices.

Apple fans, and perhaps investors, will no doubt be reassured to know that Ternus is a longtimer at Apple – explaining why in his own statement, the quote: "Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs, and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor" appears.

The legacy of Steve Jobs is strong at Apple amongst fans, while Tim Cook's success in steering the company through a value of $1bn right up to $4bn has pleased investors. Jobs was something of a risk-taker, Cook the steady-as-she-goes.

Perhaps some might see them as the personalities of Kirk and Spock?

Things are different now, however, with Cook being seen by many as having failed to anticipate the significance of AI, there is pressure on the former 'hardware guy' to solve Apple's apparent delays there out of the gate.

What will his personality be? Scotty the engineer? That is the roots many used to feel Apple should listen to. Given Ternus' recent experience developing hardware, he might be well placed to pull the realities together. One such example is computational photography – the processing behind getting phones to emulate shallow depth of field, for example, or take maximum advantage of their multiple cameras.

In the space of cameras, it's worth remembering that Ternus is very familiar with the cameras, but members of his team have long been all about mixing hardware and software. "We apply deep learning models for demosaicing, which constructs the image from the raw output" said Patrick Carroll, manager of iPhone camera architecture, of the "Photonic Engine" – and this may be increasingly true with devices like the iPhone Air which has fewer physical cameras.

Apple's press release notes that before joining Apple in 2001 Ternus worked at Virtual Research Systems, though the phrasing of Apple's release is careful only to link the Vision Pro to Tim Cook, even though it was one of the things he oversaw at Apple. That's as close as it'll come to Apple admitting the Vision Pro was not a success.

It does connect Ternus to a lot of Apple hardware, including the Apple Watch and AirPods. The text also links him to the aforementioned iPhone Air – which might yet prove to be the underpinning of a rumored folding phone – and explicitly highlights Ternus's involvement in reliability and durability.

That, then, will be the basis of Apple's play for the future. The company seems keen to explain how it will continue to grow now Cook has helped it reach $416 billion yearly revenue, and a sensible play will be trust – Ternus, Mr reliability & durability, won't be the end of that.

Ternus is one of Apple's more publicly friendly figures. He is seen above presenting the new cheaper MacBook Neo, and was outside the London Regent Street Apple Store, greeting customers, at the launch of the iPhone 17.

That suggests, I suspect, a tenure more like Cook than Jobs is coming up, but we won't know until September.

After the massive success of Meta's Ray-Bans, Apple leaker Mark Gurman has reported that Apple is working on four frame designs for its own Smart Glasses and says that his sources expect Apple to offer more than Meta when it comes to the tech.

When Apple first started looking at body-worn tech, it hadn't considered the concept pioneered by Meta's Ray-Bans – that is camera-equipped sunglasses that do not have their own display. They have, nonetheless, made our best camera glasses list.

Instead, Apple, which already had the Watch division, began a 'Vision Products Group' (according to Gurman's source), and it was concentrating on what became the Vision Pro, a mixed-reality AR device with a wireless controller and iPhone connection, and standalone glasses.

Only relatively recently has the 'N50' concept, as glasses with a built-in voice-assistant (or at least access to a voice assistant) been added to that list, meanwhile the device tethered to the iPhone was scrapped (perhaps another way of looking at it is that it has simply been replaced?)

That's because this new product will be tightly integrated with the iPhone as a means of outdoing Meta. Apple generally likes to enter a market with a distinct advantage, and here Apple won't be buying a frame brand from EssilorLuxottica SA (who own Ray-Ban and Oakley) or Warby Parker.

Apple will, if experience is anything to go by, want its designs to be recognizable, just as the iPhone and the Apple Watch stand out against competitors, even across generations. The four styles Apple is currently working on are, reportedly:

• Large rectangular frames presumably not so very far away from the Ray-Ban Wayfarers concept
• Slimmer rectangles that Gruman suggests might be along the lines of the 'Tim Cook Look'
• Large circular or oval frames
• Smaller circular or oval frames

Other big subjects of discussion in Apple-land at the moment are the possibility of delays to the foldable iPhone – which took 5% of the company's share price when it was rumored in Asia, but turned out not to have much basis.

Those who have not enjoyed Apple's recent efforts at AI will likely be pleased to hear that John Giannandrea's time at the company overseeing AI should be ending this week, too. He was hired from the outside (by Tim Cook, from Google).

Check out the best camera glasses you can buy today, and the best iPhones

Once upon a time, the MacBook Air was the cheapest way to get yourself an Apple laptop. Then the MacBook Neo came along and changed all that. It’s much cheaper than even the entry-level 13-inch Air, while being about the same size and weight (though the Air is still thinner) and produces a level of performance from a CPU formerly seen in the iPhone 16 Pro that, while not comparable to anything running Apple’s latest M5 chip, is perfectly capable of carrying out many common photo-editing, and even video-editing, tasks. The MacBook Neo is very definitely the bottom rung on the MacBook ladder, and doesn’t get some of the advanced features you’ll see on those further up, but for its price it offers excellent build quality, the bulletproof macOS operating system, and just enough battery life to keep going all day. It’s never going to be on the list of the best laptops for video editing, but if you won’t use all that extra computing power, the Neo might be just the laptop you need.

Apple MacBook Neo: Specifications

Apple MacBook Neo: Price

Starting at just £699/$699, the MacBook Neo looks like a bargain. For that money, you get 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. There's only one upgrade option through the Apple Store, which doubles the SSD storage to 512GB. Adding this to your laptop also changes the screen lock key at the top right of the keyboard into a fingerprint reader, but that’s it: there's no option to expand the laptop’s RAM or add extra GPU cores as there are on the MacBooks Air and Pro. Even the nano-texture display coating is absent. Still, this makes the Neo cost a lot less than the entry-level Air, and you could buy two of them for the price of a basic MacBook Pro and still have enough left over for some nice headphones. Windows laptops at this price point tend to be uninspiring too, which is not something you can say about the Neo.

Apple MacBook Neo: Design & Handling

Most Apple laptops look the same, with the MacBook Pro standing out slightly thanks to having its name etched in its base. The MacBook Neo doesn’t have this, so you’ll need to identify it by its colour: as well as silver, the Neo is available in a metallic green called ‘Citrus’ and a rather lovely Indigo alongside the pinkish Blush and standard silver - and in a nice touch, the OS will match its window edges and default wallpaper to the exterior colour. It’s noticeably thicker than a MacBook Air, but has the same aluminium casing as all MacBooks, with its USB-C ports tucked away at the back on the right up by the screen hinge. As a 13-inch laptop, it’s easily portable and could make the ideal companion on hikes if you’re accompanied by a drone or action camera.

This is a very basic laptop, and as such doesn’t come with any of the bells and whistles you may expect from a Mac. The version reviewed here is at the bottom of the range, so it doesn’t have the fingerprint reader. This means you’d better get used to typing your password every time you need to unlock it. The webcam is a 1080p FaceTime HD model rather than the clever Center Stage cam that’s on the Air and Pro, which can track you around and keep you in shot. As such, it’s fine, but you may feel you’re missing out. There are two speakers, hidden under slits in the sides of the casing rather than grilles at the edge of the keyboard, and they’re fine too. As is the dual-mic array, though you may find yourself making use of the 3.5mm audio jack for a headset if you’re making a lot of calls.

The screen is an LED-backlit IPS with fewer pixels in it than the equivalent 13-inch MacBook Air, and yet again, it’s absolutely fine but nothing special. That’s the story of this laptop. If you need more screen, one of the USB ports supports a single external monitor of up to 4K, though both that and the built-in screen are limited to 60Hz.

The ports are possibly the thing about the Neo that will annoy photographers and videographers the most. There are only two, and one is a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Type-C. It doubles as the video out, and there's no HDMI port or SD card reader, so some sort of dock may be a good purchase alongside the Neo if you don’t want to be constantly plugging and unplugging peripherals. That’s because the second USB port, despite being Type-C, is only USB 2.0. This is an artefact of the A18 Pro chipset inside the Neo, which comes from the iPhone 18 Pro, a phone with only one port. There's no way to tell the difference between the two USB ports (eventually you’ll get used to the fact that the slower one is closer to you), but the operating system will warn you if you plug a fast peripheral into the wrong one. You can charge through either port - there's no MagSafe - and this may well be enough connectivity for most users, as networking is handled by Wi-Fi 6E and there's Bluetooth 6 for your headphones, as well as connecting an external mouse and keyboard.

Apple MacBook Neo: Performance

The tiny A18 Pro has had the misfortune to make its laptop debut in a world that already includes the M5, as well as innumerable choices from Intel and AMD. It’s a really competent CPU, especially in terms of single-core performance, in which it produces strong benchmark scores.

It’s still a six-core chip though, and only two of those are the ‘performance’ type that do the heavy lifting. This is made worse by the 8GB RAM limit, another legacy of the iPhone. Apple has clever caching and memory management tech that allows it to make the best of its allocation of memory, but more is always better, and with PC manufacturers pushing out mobile workstations with as much as 128GB on board, 8GB looks puny.

This doesn’t stop the Neo, but it does slow it down. The SSD inside is running rather slowly by 2026 standards, around the speed of an older PCIe 2.0 drive, which naturally makes any paging from RAM to storage feel less responsive. The Neo isn’t a laptop that was designed for heavy video editing work, but it runs Premiere Pro reasonably well, churning through GPU effects (there are only five graphics cores inside, which is actually one less than the iPhone 16 Pro had) and raw video conversion at a slower speed than other laptops. Denoising 60MP raw image files in Lightroom likewise takes ages. However, it got there in the end rather than crashing and failing the task, which says something about the robustness of the platform Apple has assembled here.

The strong single-core performance from the A18 Pro (3,519 in Geekbench 6, which puts it ahead of the Apple M3 and just about every Intel or AMD chip I’ve ever tested) means it’s a responsive machine to use, and in Photoshop it’s perfectly happy cropping, resizing, cloning and carrying out all the basic tasks photographers demand. Its multi-core performance is in Intel Core i5 territory, and that’s an i5 from a couple of years ago too. Once again: it’s fine. We weren’t really expecting Core Ultra 9 levels of computing power from something that costs £599.

Apple MacBook Neo: Verdict

When the MacBook Neo was announced, the idea of a laptop that ran on the processor from an iPhone seemed almost ridiculous. However, time spent with the machine shows that it works, and it works well. There are things that could be better - that 8GB unified RAM pool is going to look tiny to many users, especially those who demand more than that just for their graphics cards, but the Neo isn’t a laptop made for gamers or 8K video editors. For browsing, office tasks and most image editing it does just fine, the lack of ports and internal storage a bigger issue. What you get is a nicely built Mac for a lot less than the next model up, and that means the Neo has real value.

Alternatives

French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once said, "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" – and he's right: practice makes perfect. And today, thanks to camera phones, every aspiring photographer can learn, experiment, and create, right from the device in their pocket.

The 15th Annual Mobile Photography Awards (MPA) celebrate exactly that – photographers pushing the limits of mobile cameras, from basic devices to high-end 50MP flagship smartphones.

Connecting to Cartier-Bresson's idea to modern technology, MPA says: "If your first 10,000 photos are your worst, mobile photography has given humanity a historic opportunity to quickly get past 10,001," awarding photographers who fully embraced this era of instant and accessible creativity.

15th Annual MPA – Category winners

1st Place Winner: People
How Long Can We Stay Down Here? by Louise Rayner
Phone: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
Exposure: 1/4000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 32

1st Place Winner: Macro & Details
The White Masked Sentinel by Steven Grogin
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Exposure: 1/60 sec, f/1.7, ISO 20

1st Place Winner: Street Photography
A Gazing Cat by Yajun Hu
Phone: Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Exposure: 1/900 sec, f/4, ISO 50

1st Place Winner: Architecture / Design
Folded Passage by Ma Shuolong
Phone: Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Exposure: 1/440 sec, f/1.8, ISO 32

1st Place Winner: Portraits & Self Portraits
Flower Power by Beata Smutek
Phone: Samsung Galaxy S23
Exposure: 1 sec, f/1.7, ISO 12

To discover all category winners and the competition's overall winner, visit the Mobile Photo Awards website.

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"It's not the gear, it's the photographer," a phrase that's often debated, but in many genres, still rings true. Especially now that camera phones have come further than ever – packing 50MP sensors, computational photography, and even variable apertures – yet are still underestimated by many photographers.

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Kuanglong Zhang has been named the overall winner of the 15th Annual Mobile Photo Awards (MPA), impressing judges with a striking portfolio captured exclusively on smartphones – with models from 2016 to 2023.

15th Annual MPA winner

The jury praised his work for its "diverse palette and a deeply convincing, impressive range of subject matter", pointing out Zhang's eye for color, framing, and detail.

Zhang's work highlights just how much creativity and skill can be captured with older phones, smaller sensors, and the device we carry every day – even if it no longer should be a surprise that award-winning images can be created on smartphones...

Zhang was thrilled to hear the news of his international victory and stated, "...Winning this award truly means so much to me.

"I'm really looking forward to growing alongside the MPA, and to inspiring people around the world to discover mobile photography – and to see that phones are more than capable of creating images that are both warm and full of heart, with a beautifully crafted feel."

The camera phones

Zhang's winning images were captured using a mix of older and newer smartphone cameras – from early single-camera systems to modern multi-lens flagships.

1. Huawei Mate 60
Released primarily in China in 2023, it is the most advanced device in Zhang's lineup. The Huawei Mate 60 features a 50MP main camera and variable aperture (f/1.4-4), offering a level of manual control rarely seen in smartphones.

2. Oppo Find X6 Pro
Launched 2023, the Oppo Find X6 Pro is a China-exclusive flagship with a 50MP triple-camera system built for high-end imaging performance.

3. Vivo X60 Pro+
A top camera-focused phone, released in 2021. The Vivo X60 Pro + was co-engineered with Zeiss. It features a quad-camera setup. 48MP ultra-wide lens, and advanced gimbal stabilization.

4. OnePlus 9RT 5G
A China-first release in 2021, followed by a wider global rollout in 2022, the OnePlus 9RT 5G packs a 50MP Sony IMX766 main sensor and is known as a "flagship killer".

5. iPhone 11 Pro Max
The iPhone 11 Pro Max launched back in 2019, and its specs only tell half the story. As highlighted in our review, "it's the real-world results from this triple-camera phone that matter". It features a versatile triple-lens system with 12MP sensors.

6. iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 is the oldest smartphone on the list and was launched in 2016! Its highest camera features a 12MP sensor with a fast f/1.8 aperture – still capable of producing award-winning images in the right hands.

To discover all category winners and for more information, visit the Mobile Photo Awards website.

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Is it possible these days to buy a laptop that’s too powerful? Chances are that photographers will be rocking mid-level machines capable of running Photoshop while video types are lugging something more potent around with them, but this? This knocks just about every laptop ever tested into second place. The Vanilla M5 version of the MacBook Pro was already pretty good, supplying some of the fastest single-core performance the benchmarking apps had ever seen, but was left behind in multi-core and graphics performance by Windows PCs with more physical cores and discrete graphics chips.

In response, Apple has done what it’s done for every generation of M-series CPUs, and released a version with more of everything. That’s what we’ve got here, and it’s so good it’s almost scary. There are already two MacBook Pros in the big list of the best laptops for video editing, will this knock the M4 Pro off the top?

Specifications

Price & Availability

You’ll have to part with $5,699 (£5,699/A$8,949) to get the spec we’re reviewing here. That’s an awful lot of money, considering the MacBook Pro with the normal M5 chip starts at $1,599, and is certainly not an impulse purchase. If you’re willing to make the investment, you’ll get a laptop that can do anything, and do it quickly, but whether it’s a sound purchase depends very much on whether you think it will accelerate your professional workflows to a point that you can’t imagine life without it. Luckily, Apple’s build-to-order system means you don't have to max out every spec, so you can lower the price that way.

Design

The MacBook Pro hasn’t changed its design for a few generations now. You get a choice of two colours - black and silver - and two sizes, 14 and 16 inches. There's the option of a Nano Texture screen coating, to cut reflections when working around strong lighting, but the Liquid Retina display isn’t a particularly reflective panel even without it, and Apple’s apparent reluctance to embrace OLEDs, which have a reputation for being mirrors when looked at from the right angle or in the wrong lighting, may have something to do with this.

So you get a flat-sided laptop with softly rounded corners, the MacBook Pro name engraved into the base, and an Apple logo on the lid that doesn’t light up. It’s sleek and professional, as well as instantly recognisable. There are certainly thinner laptops out there - Apple makes one itself in the MacBook Air - but also many that are fatter, and it’s a remarkably compact package for the sheer amount of computing power the company has managed to pack inside. There are two fans for cooling, but they never get very loud, and any hot air is vented out of two small slits in the sides, as well as being absorbed into the aluminium frame. In testing it never got particularly hot, but it’s easy to imagine that a day spent churning through 8K video will cause it to warm up.

It’s worth noting that chargers are now optional extras when buying a new MacBook. The 96W USB-C power adapter is a £79 add-on, though there's a MagSafe adapter in the laptop’s box so you can use any USB-C brick you already have to juice it up, and you can also charge it through any of its Thunderbolt ports, which is handy if you’ve got it connected to a dock or a monitor with Power Delivery.

Performance

The M5 chip was already a strong performer when it came out in 2025. That model was a 10-core chip, with four of them Apple’s newly christened ‘Super’ cores and the other six ‘Efficiency’ cores for background tasks. The M5 Max introduces a new category, the ‘Performance’ core, which is a bit confusing, as Super cores used to be called Performance cores, but they now occupy a middle ground between Super and Efficiency. The M5 Max has six S and 12 P cores, with no E cores at all, and it all makes a difference to its benchmark scores.

Apple’s M5 chips are the only CPUs to score more than 4,000 points in Geekbench 6’s single-core test (as of early 2026, anyway), and the M5 Max continues the trend. What’s far more exciting is the multi-core test, in which the M5 Max pulls away, putting 6,000 points, or 23%, between it and the M4 Pro from the previous generation. Intel’s Core Ultra 9 275HX is around 30% slower than the M5 Max in this test.

Having 40 graphics cores against the vanilla M5’s 10 gives the Max a big advantage too, and it produces results that are approximately the same as a mid-range Nvidia card, though comparing different graphics architectures on computers running different operating systems is a difficult task. The MacBook Pro being reviewed also has an advantage from its 128GB of fast DDR5 RAM, something that accounts for a large chunk of its price.

What all this means in practice is that it absolutely flies along. It completed tasks in Photoshop and Premiere Pro extremely quickly, and while it’s not the absolute best out there at running AI tasks - that honour goes to machines with top-end GPUs - it’s no slouch either.

With all that processing power, you might expect the battery life to be measured in minutes rather than hours, but the efficiency of the ARM-based Apple Silicon means that, when asked to do light tasks, you can see as much as 17 hours of life out of a charge. While it’s probably true that a laptop like this is likely to spend a lot of its life plugged in and working hard, it’s good to see that taking it into the field is a possibility, even if the endurance will decrease when you make it work harder.

Final Verdict

This 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M5 Max processor is a remarkable machine, and it should be, considering the price Apple is asking for it. You’ll need to go through the online configuration process to get a laptop with this spec, and once you’re finished, it’s almost the most expensive Mac you can buy (that accolade goes to the Mac Studio with a 32-core M3 Ultra processor, into which you can put 256GB of RAM and 16TB of storage).

For most photo and video users, however, a laptop of this spec will be overkill, and while the excitement of simply owning one may be worth the price, something lower down the hierarchy will do just as well, especially when you consider that you’ll undoubtedly need extras like a Thunderbolt dock, Magic Mouse or Trackpad, and an external monitor such as the Apple Studio Display to go with it. Buy one, however, and you’ll have the kind of portable workstation that once we could only have dreamed of.

Alternatives

Apple has unveiled the MacBook Neo, a new entry-level laptop designed to bring the Mac experience to a broader audience with a significantly lower starting price. Starting at $599 / £599 / AU$899, the MacBook Neo is now the most affordable Mac laptop Apple has ever produced, positioning it directly against budget Windows laptops and even Chromebooks.

The MacBook Neo represents an interesting shift for Apple. Its MacBooks have always sat at the more premium end of the laptop market, starting with the MacBook Air, but with recent MacBook sales growth stagnating, Apple has clearly seen the entry-level market as the way forward. Introducing a new tier below the Air offers the familiar macOS experience in a cheaper, far more stripped-back package, but with so much work done now in the browser, this might be all many people need.

Apple's cost savings start with the processor. The MacBook Neo uses Apple’s A18 Pro chip, originally designed for phones; it's also not Apple's most recent processor, and was previously seen in last year's iPhone 16 Pro lineup (this year's iPhone 17 Pro uses a newer A19 Pro chipset).

However, Apple says the processor delivers more than enough performance for everyday tasks such as web browsing, video calls, photo editing, and even running AI-powered apps. Apple also rather boldly claims that the Neo can be up to 50% faster for common tasks than an (unspecified) best-selling PC with an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor, three times quicker for AI-related processing, and two times faster photo editing. The iPhone does have incredible performance, but it'll be interesting to see if this phone's processor can stretch to a bigger screen and heavier multitasking.

Despite its lower price, the MacBook Neo still carries much of the familiar MacBook DNA. The laptop uses a recycled aluminium enclosure, includes Apple’s excellent Magic Keyboard and large multi-touch trackpad, and offers connectivity via two USB-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack, alongside WiFi and Bluetooth.

The MacBook Neo is available in four colors – Silver, Blush, Indigo, and Citrus – each with colour-matched keyboards, giving the Neo a slightly more playful look than Apple’s traditional MacBook palette.

The Neo features a 13-inch Liquid Retina display with support for one billion colors and up to 500 nits of brightness, as well as a 1080p camera for FaceTime video calls. Audio comes from dual side-firing speakers with support for Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and a dual-microphone array should isolate your voice during calls. And according to Apple, battery life is rated for up to 16 hours.

The base MacBook Neo features 256GB of storage, but does miss out on Apple's TouchID; however, jumping up to 512GB of storage restores TouchID to the power button (which, honestly, is a feature I would really struggle to live without).

Pre-orders are open now, and in-store availability starts from March 11. The Neo starts at $599 / £599 / AU$899 with 256GB of storage, or $699 / £699 / AU$1,099 with 512GB – and you can knock a further $100 off these prices with Apple's student discount.

Apple has launched new Studio Display and Studio Display XDR monitors, aimed at enthusiast creatives to demanding professional users.

Apple Studio Display

At the heart of the new Studio Display is a 5K, 5120 x 2880 Retina panel that supports DCI-P3 color and is rated for 600 nits of brightness. New features include a 12MP Center Stage camera, now with improved image quality and support for Desk View - a feature that can show your face and an overhead view of your desk at the same time. 

The new Studio Display also has a studio-quality three-microphone array, along with a six-speaker sound system that includes woofers that deliver 30 percent deeper bass than the previous generation, plus two high-performance tweeters for immersive audio.

At the rear you'll find two Thunderbolt 5 ports, enabling daisy-chaining of up to four Studio Displays, or connection of high-speed accessories, with up to 96W of charging power.

Apple Studio Display XDR

The all-new Studio Display XDR is a 27-inch 5K (5120 x 2880) display that utilizes an advanced mini-LED backlight with 2,304 local dimming zones to enable high contrast. It's also capable of up to 1000 nits of SDR brightness, and 2000 nits of peak HDR brightness. The result is said to be HDR that can make content "pop off the screen", without distracting halo or blooming effects.

A 120Hz refresh rate should deliver smooth motion, while Adaptive Sync dynamically adjusts frame rates for content like video playback or graphically intense games. Studio Display XDR includes the same camera and audio system as the Studio Display, as well as Thunderbolt 5 connectivity with up to 140W of charging power to simplify pro workflow setups.

The new Studio Display with a tilt-adjustable stand starts at $1,599, and Studio Display XDR with a tilt- and height-adjustable stand starts at $3,299. Both are available in standard or nano-texture glass options, and can be pre-ordered from March 4, with availability beginning Wednesday, March 11.

The Apple iPad Air is back with a powerful M4 silicon chip, more Unified Memory, a faster Neural Engine, and a boost in memory bandwidth, making it an extremely capable alternative to the iPad Pro M5 in terms of raw power, which will surely make it a more formidable machine for photo and video editing, especially for those more taxing tasks such as AI-powered tools, multi-layer composites, and high-resolution video. And indeed, Apple rates this latest iteration as 30-percent faster than the previous iPad Air M3 and an eye-watering 2.3x faster than the still capable iPad Air M1.

A huge draw for creatives is the iPad ecosystem’s exemplary image quality and color accuracy. As we’ve come to expect, the iPad Air M4 is available in 11- and 13-inch variants, both with an LED Liquid Retina display, complete with Apple’s True Tone, which adjusts the display according to ambient lighting. A P3 wide color gamut, for accurate color reproduction. And full lamination, which reduces glare, improves touch responsiveness, and increases image quality.

Both variants feature anti-reflective coatings and support for the Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C), however, the 11-inch iPad Air M4 emits 500 nits of brightness, while the 13-inch model emits 600 nits. Beneath that sleek aluminum exterior, you’ll find an 8-core CPU and 9-core GPU that supports Apple’s second-generation ray tracing mesh shading and ray tracing for a boost in graphical performance, with Apple citing 4x faster 3D pro rendering in comparison to the iPad Air M1.

The aforementioned boost in power also extends to AI performance. Unified memory has been boosted by 50 percent, equalling the 12GB present on standard iPad Pro M5 machines with 12GB of RAM. Memory bandwidth has been increased to 120GB/s. And a 16-core Neural Engine is said to provide 3x faster performance than the M1 chip – good news for photo and video editors who rely on AI tools.

The iPad Air M4 also features Apple’s N1 and C1X connectivity chips – a first for the iPad Air series – for fast wireless and cellular connections, as well as Wi-Fi 7 support. The N1 enhances Personal Hotspot and AirDrop, as well as 5GHz Wi-Fi network connections, while the C1X boasts 30-percent less modem energy consumption than the previous iPad Air iteration.

As you’d expect, the iPad Air M4 runs on iPadOS 26, and beyond the Liquid Glass redesign, it brings with it a new windowing system and menu bar in a bid to provide a more streamlined workflow for more professional uses, as well as tweaks to folder management.

Groundbreaking camera specs are a rarity on tablets, nowadays, given the inherently awkward form factor. The iPad Air M4 has a 12-MP f/1.8 Wide camera with a 5x digital zoom, which can capture up to 4K / 60p video. The Center Stage front camera is 12MP f/2, and can capture full HD / 60p.

The iPad Air M4 is available in four colorways: Blue, Purple, Starlight, and Space Grey. Both variants are available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage. The iPad Air M4 starts at $599 / £599 / AU$999 for the 11-inch model and $799 / £799 / AU$1,349 for the 13-inch model.

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Buyers of Apple's entry MacBook Pro model have had access to the newer chips via the MacBook Pro M5 since October, but serious users have been directed to the M4 Pro and M4 Max devices. Until today, when new M5 versions of these machines were finally unveiled.

Why the delay? The Pro and Max versions of the chips have more CPU and GPU cores and more memory; so higher end computing needs – like a lot of 4K video work, or photography editing.

It's also noteworthy that Apple has raised the prices on all the MacBook Pros, including the existing M5 by $100 / AU$200, perhaps reflecting the increasing component costs known in the trade as 'RAMageddon', though the lowest storage option is now 1TB rather than 512GB, and twice as fast, so the jump isn't quite as bad.

The new MacBook Pro M5 Pro will start at $2,199 / AU$3,499 ($200 / AU$200 up on its predecessor) and boasts a 15 CPU cores and a 16 GPU cores, and that for the 14-inch model. Want the 16-inch version and you'll need $2,699, but the bigger frame also allows for 18 CPU cores and a 20 GPU cores. In both cases the lowest storage spec is 24GB of RAM and 1TB.

Spec up to the Max variant of the chips and $3,599 / AU$5,799 will be needed for 14-inches or $3,899 / AU$6,299 for 16-inch. Both fit in 18 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores.

According to Apple, customers will see up to a 4x jump in AI image generation performance compared to equivalent M4 chipsets, and 8x against the M1 equivalents.

The tiny world of Apple gamers were even mentioned by Apple, who noted that there will be 1.6x faster gaming performance in ray tracing versus the M4 in games like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition. More usefully for professionals, that should be 1.4x faster 3D rendering in Maxon Redshift (5.2x faster v M1).

The Apple N1 wireless chip is included, and Bluetooth 6, while the webcam is 12MP Center Stage camera in a notch cut from the Liquid Retina XDR 1600 nits peak HDR display.

Apple say the new MacBook Pro gets up to 24 hours of battery life (noting that if you've not upgraded since Intel days, thats 13 additional hours, though I'd like to note that my last Intel Mac could rarely manage an hour with more than a couple of tabs open in Chrome).

Apple also surprised punters by announcing the MacBook Air will see the new M5 chip at the same event.

All new computers will be available for pre-order tomorrow, March 4, and in stores from next week.

There is also two new Apple Studio Displays, which we cover separately.

Apple offers significant improvements to its entry-level iPhone with the new iPhone 17e, just announced, doubling the storage to 256MB, bringing the A19 processor, and adding MagSafe support.

The new phone sports the same 6.1-inch OLED display as its predecessor, the iPhone 16e, is available in three different colors (Black, White, Soft Pink), and will go on sale at a starting price of $599 / £599 / AU$999.

This is the same price as the previous 16e – so buyers won't face the jump that customers had to swallow last time Apple upgraded this category (from the 2022 iPhone SE to the iPhone 16e).

The single rear camera is a 48MP wide-angle (Apple's 2-in-1 hybrid focus pixel system). This upgrade was introduced with the 16e, and is a 26mm ƒ1/6 aperture camera capable of delivering 24MP at 2x (52mm EFL) in the camera app. Apple calls the 48MP 1x images "Super-high-resolution photos".

Photographers also get the benefit of Apple's 'Action Button'. Video is recorded at 4K60fps with Dolby Vision, and there is a 240fps slow-mo.

The selfie camera is also unchanged at 12MP ƒ/1.9.

On the slightly disappointing side, it only has 60Hz screens, leaving 'ProMotion' to Apple's premium models. The 'Dynamic Island' has also been eschewed in favour of retaining the older 'notch'.

My bet is that these choices will not upset the upgrade market too much – those looking for a cheaper new iPhone will likey be happier about the improvements to the handset's processing power in the era of AI.

The other significant upgrade, MagSafe, brings the phone in line with a lot of Apple accessories that many Apple-reliant homes might already have around.

Pre-orders will begin on March 4, after Apple's big Wednesday event in New York, and the handset will be available from stores a week later, on Wednesday March 11.

Apple has also announced a new M4 iPad Air, today, but so far we've heard nothing about the (also rumored) base model iPad.

Apple has announced an event for March 4, which might be where metaphorical daylight reaches some of the many products that have been rumored over the last few months and even years.

Apple, as expected, has not shared any details in advance, simply issuing an invite with a stylized version of the Apple logo – the only suggestion that things are slightly out of the ordinary is that this "special Apple experience" is going to be in New York rather than the company's Cupertino home.

What are we expecting from Apple on March 4

• MacBook – but cheaper The talk of the town is a MacBook with a phone-like (A18) processor coming in at about $599.
• iPhone 17e Yes, that time in Apple's product cycle for a cheaper flagship-ish phone.
• M5 MacBook Air Update to the faster new CPU, but the same old outsides, for the popular Air.
• iPad Air 8 M4 processor marking a small internal update.
• MacBook Pro M5 Max & Ultra The premium chips are still awaited for the top of the line MacBooks too (only the bottom MacBook Pro has an M5 thus far).
• iPad 12 Internal update also expected for the cheapest iPad.

Apple has long had a cheaper iPhone, so it is easy enough to remember the iPhone 16e from last year, for example. We don't expect to see any changes in the price, which starts at $599. The insides might get the upgrade to the A19 chipset and Apple's C1X and N1 wireless chips – which both improve battery life and potentially save Apple from needing to buy chips externally.

Wireless charging is expected to be upgraded to MagSafe with speeds of up to 25W.

An Apple laptop at the same $599 is potentially achieved using a A18 Pro chipset, and a 12.9-inch display, though recent developments in Apple Intelligence suggests that a minimum of 16GB RAM might be a starting point. I have to say that seems a little higher than the memory point that Apple aficionados might be used to for entry-level machines, though, and rumours can drift into wish-listing, so we shall see!

Potentially, though, this level of power should be enough for basic photography tasks. Oh, and would you really want an iPad if you could have a MacBook for less?

In terms of devices that we know and recognize on the outside, the upper MacBook Pros (Max & Ultra chips) are still awaiting the M5 treatment, and the assorted iPads are also due a minor chip refresh. None of these are 'new products' though. The other items in the rumor mill – so the ones that attract the attention (especially as Apple has picked a different venue), must be either the 'pendant' – something like an AI Star Trek communicator – or Apple's other rumored and much expected release, some kind of affordable glasses.

Affordable, that is, in comparison to Apple's $3,499/£3,199 Vision Pro.

The Rayban Meta has been spectacularly successful, with actual sales clocking up over 7 million unit sales in 2025 (which will represent around half the $1.1 billion per quarter the entire division pulls in), and CNBC reporting production being pushed to 20 million.

Inevitably, there are plenty of rumors of greater or lesser credibility suggesting that Apple are working on its own competing product which, like the Meta RayBan, will have a camera in the frames to capture video.

The project is reportedly codenamed internally 'N50', but that doesn't mean they are close enough to completion that we'll see them this March. I've also heard 2027 and 2028 as public release timing, so it's fair to say it's not exactly nailed down (though it is likely that an updated version of Siri will need to at least be involved, which would be iOS 27, this year's edition, which also isn't out yet).

And on the subject of updating Siri, the other thing, perhaps a little more fanciful, is the idea of a device you speak to and make requests of Siri like any other AI chatbot. This would be worn around the neck like a pendant, or pinned to clothing like Captain Picard's badge.

It, too, might have a camera so it can perceive its environment, to help it answer questions.

Former Apple chief designer Jony Ive has also been rumored to be working on a device like this for an AI startup, IO, now acquired by OpenAI (of ChatGPT fame).

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