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Apple’s long-awaited, and admittedly most exciting, announcement is finally here.
Yesterday, the brand debuted the brand-new iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and the revolutionary iPhone Duo, finally bringing the tech giant into the foldable game.
Between upgraded cameras, new wearable tech and Apple’s first real step into foldables, there’s a lot for shoppers to unpack. Whether you’re overdue for an upgrade or just curious about what Apple is betting on next, this lineup is worth a closer look.
Check out what Apple announced, and decide for yourself which new device deserves a spot in your cart.
AirPods 5
We have to open the roundup with the AirPods 5, because if there’s one product from the brand that everyone loves, needs and wants, it’s AirPods. These AirPods have a similar open-ear design, but offer 50% better noise cancellation than the previous gen, and automatically adjust between transparency and ANC depending on background noise. They function seamlessly with Siri AI, too, so you can store conversations for later reference through the new Siri app.
You’ll get four hours of listening time with ANC, plus these are more durable than predecessors. Best part? Price remains the same as the previous gen without ANC.
Editor’s Note: It should be noted that a second version offers five hours of battery life with ANC and on-device volume controls — plus a wireless charging case.
Apple Watch Series 12
The biggest upgrade here, according to Apple, is the Apple Health and wellness features. The brand says both the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 boast the most advanced health metrics. It also packs the S11 chip for better performance — especially on the specs mentioned below.
The Health Sensing System offers better and more optimized readings, including background heart rate readings taken every five seconds. HRV is taken 24 times more frequently. HRV is also available in the Vitals app now, including in the new daytime view.
Apple also finally has a readiness score, offering a rating up to 10. The Health app gets a refresh, too, with more personalized tips and something called Health Age, which basically tells you how your biomarkers rank up to your actual age. You can also use longevity to unlock deeper insights into your health data and basically improve your health. Other health assessments like cardio fitness are also available.
There’s audio intelligence, which includes features like sound intelligence, which can listen to the world around you and let you know what sounds are being detected — great if you’re hard of hearing.
Another feature is the live rewind feature, which means you can automatically record your surrondings and check to see what’s being said. It’s interesting and definitely one I’m keen to try.
You also have Siri Recap, which does everything from ambient listening to taking notes on your behalf. Remember, you can toggle this on and off. Apple says everything is end-to-end encrypted, too, so you don’t have to worry about privacy.
One new colorway is the brushed bronze in the classic design, which looks really cool IMO. You can also shop the Series 12 in ceramic pearl white and night blue.
Apple Watch Ultra 4
Apart from the health features mentioned above, you get two days of battery life on the new watch, which is the biggest upgrade here.
iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max
Built to work as your day-to-day digital companion, the new iPhone has the longest battery life in Apple’s history, is powered by Apple Intelligence and comes with new camera features built specifically for low-light photography.
The design is fairly similar to the 17 Pro, but of course, Apple always releases a new colorway. This year it is Glacier and Burgundy — yes, we finally have Burgundy in an iPhone, and I’ve been waiting for this. The Dynamic Island is a little smaller, too, taking up less screen real estate.
There’s also Siri AI, which Apple says should make the assistant more capable and personal to you. Use it to parse data easily and even take actions in apps you already use. The brand said it works across 300,000 apps with ease. It also works with the Siri app, so you can keep track of all your conversations with the virtual assistant in one place.
There are new tools within Photos as well, including Extend, which expands your image, and a photo reframing tool to alter the way a photo is framed. The idea? Complete personalization and control of your device.
The new chip? It’s faster, better and stronger — built to support all the AI features I mentioned above. The neural engine is doubled on here, making it the most advanced chip Apple has made to date, with 50% more memory bandwidth, the widest ever in an iPhone.
Thermal performance is improved, too, so hopefully your phone shouldn’t be constantly heating up. I know I’ve had this problem for years.
Battery life? You’ll be happy. Though the phone is smaller, it offers all-day battery life, with the biggest difference on the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple says you should get 24 hours of use per full charge for the Pro and 30 hours for the Pro Max.
Camera upgrades include variable aperture, which, as mentioned above, means you’ll get better low-light photos. The brand says Night mode captures are faster, too, and there are more customizable photo settings as well, including the ability to modify shutter speeds. These “pro controls” also work on video. Apart from that, you have even more editing features, from softening skin tone to more.
One note on iOS 27: You can use the Handoff feature to have the same number across two devices.
iPhone Duo
Made us wait until the end of the livestream — sneaky. But yeah, it was worth the wait.
The widest screen, 50% larger than the iPhone 18 Pro, and Apple’s first-ever fold is built with rounded corners and a seamless screen that looks like it has no crease, making this one of the coolest displays I’ve seen on a foldable. The hinge looks most interesting, which Apple says has the most seamless design possible. It’s also the thinnest iPhone when open, which is a bonus.
The design is still titanium, and the display is liquid glass. The whole design, when the phone is on, seems very integrated, with controls on the side and content automatically scaling when you go from closed to open. You can, of course, open two apps side by side, and the screen automatically orients depending on how you’re holding or placing your phone. Apparently, you can even use it as a bedside clock, which seems cool. The phone is also IP68-resistant, giving you that same durability Apple is known for, but now on the foldable.
I think of the fold as a mini iPad, just way more portable and much more intuitive than I would’ve imagined. Worth the wait? I think yes, but I need to get my hands on it to really see how seamless it is. The presentation said using this should be like “turning pages in a book.” My favorite part? Touch ID is back! Battery life somehow still lasts all day and of course, you’ve got fast charging features.
The brand also says the Apple Pencil will be compatible with the foldable later this year. The main draw here is, of course, the amount of productivity you can get with the wider screen and how seamless the experience is.
The camera system includes a 48MP Dual Fusion camera system, with a 48MP Fusion Main camera and a 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera. The Main camera also offers an optical-quality 2x Telephoto, and Apple says it excels in low light thanks to its large sensor, fast aperture and sensor-shift optical image stabilization. You can also use Duo Preview to show a live preview on the outer display, so your subject can see themselves in the shot before you take the photo. Since you can prop this phone up, Smart Take can also automatically snap pictures once you and your group are posed.
Colors include star white and night sky.
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This article was written by Nishka Dhawan, Commerce Reporter for the New York Post. Nishka reports on the latest tech launches, innovations and trends to separate the best new products from the “AI slop.” Taking the latest technology for a spin, Nishka tests home appliances and tech products that actually improve your life, from vacuums to headphones to gaming gadgets and more – all while finding the best deals and lowest prices. Before joining The Post in 2026, her work appeared in Rolling Stone, ABC, NBC Select, Reviewed and Digital Trends.
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