The MacRumors Show

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss all of the rumors surrounding Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone, now said to be called the “iPhone Ultra," which is shaping up to be a comprehensive redesign unlike anything the company has shipped before.
The ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max this fall, though reports suggest it will ship after the Pro models, potentially as late as December. Pricing is expected to start at over $2,000, making it the most expensive iPhone Apple has ever sold.
The device will have a book-style, passport-shaped design with a 4:3 aspect ratio, wider than it is tall and unlike any foldable currently on the market. When closed, it will have a 5.5-inch outer display; when open, a 7.8-inch inner OLED panel takes over, making it just slightly smaller than the 8.3-inch iPad mini. According to design leaks from Instant Digital, the device will measure just 4.5mm thick when unfolded, which would make it Apple's thinnest iPhone to date. The outer frame is said to be made of titanium for durability at that thinness, while the inner frame uses aluminum. The back features a glass finish with a shorter, iPhone Air-style camera plateau housing two horizontally arranged rear cameras.
The same leak revealed that volume buttons are relocated to the top edge of the device, aligned to the right. The inner display features a single punch-hole cutout resulting in a smaller Dynamic Island, while a Touch ID power button and Camera Control remain on the right edge. Reports indicate the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will support iPad-style multitasking and layouts for running apps side by side when unfolded, befitting its iPad mini-sized inner display. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has described it as the "most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
Achieving that ultra-thin form factor comes with tradeoffs, and the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will be missing several features that iPhone users have come to expect, in some ways echoing the compromises Apple made with the iPhone Air. The ‌iPhone Air‌ went without stereo speakers, a SIM card slot, and multiple rear cameras to achieve its 5.6mm frame; the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ faces similar constraints at an even more demanding 4.5mm. The ultra-thin chassis leaves no room for a triple-lens camera setup, so the telephoto lens found on iPhone Pro models is absent, leaving just a dual 48-megapixel rear system. More significantly, there is no space for the TrueDepth sensor array required for Face ID, meaning the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ will rely on a side-button ‌Touch ID‌ module instead.
Under the hood, the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ is expected to feature Apple's A20 chip paired with 12GB of RAM. Storage options are said to include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Battery capacity is reportedly in the 5,400mAh to 5,800mAh range, which would put it among the largest ever in an iPhone despite its slim dimensions.
The scale of Apple's production ambitions for the ‌iPhone Ultra‌ has already been tempered by manufacturing realities. Kuo initially indicated Apple placed orders for 15 to 20 million total foldable iPhones, though he noted demand would likely be limited due to the device's cost. By December, Kuo warned that early-stage yield and ramp-up challenges could mean smooth shipments may not occur until 2027, with potential shortages lasting through at least the end of 2026.
The high asking price is expected to be a further constraint on volume: IDC projects the device will capture over 22% unit share of the foldables market in its first year, but that market remains a niche segment overall. The ‌iPhone Air‌'s underwhelming sales performance, with Kuo reporting suppliers cut production capacity by more than 80% after demand fell short of expectations, may serve as a cautionary tale for premium iPhone form-factor experiments.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through everything the iPhone 18 Pro will feature, according to the latest rumors.
Following last year's major redesign, the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models are expected to feature a very similar design to their predecessors. There is expected to be a smaller Dynamic Island, with Face ID's flood illuminator component moved under the screen to reduce the cutout's size. It is rumored to be approximately 35% narrower than the iPhone 17 Pro's, shrinking from around 20.7mm to 13.5mm. The Pro Max will be slightly thicker than its predecessor, rising to around 8.8mm and over 240 grams to accommodate a larger battery of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh, up from the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max's 5,088 mAh.
The rear will see a slight design shift as well. Apple is reportedly dropping the two-tone look found on ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ models in favor of a more seamless aesthetic, with improved alignment between the Ceramic Shield back glass and the aluminum frame. The devices are also expected to come in a special red color.
The camera system will undergo more substantial changes. Both Pro models' main 48-megapixel Fusion camera are rumored to feature variable aperture, which would allow users to control the lens opening to manage light intake and depth of field. The aperture would function similarly to a DSLR camera, giving photographers greater control over focus sharpness and background blur in different lighting conditions. Additionally, Samsung is developing a new three-layer sensor for the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌, designed to reduce noise, improve dynamic range, and enhance camera responsiveness compared to Sony's current sensors.
The Camera Control button is also getting a simplification. Rather than supporting both capacitive touch gestures and pressure sensing as on the iPhone 17, the iPhone 18 will rely on pressure sensing alone, reducing manufacturing complexity and the cost of repairs, while improving ease of use.
The A20 Pro chip will mark Apple's debut of a 2-nanometer processor, with a reportedly 15% speed increase and about 30% better power efficiency compared to the A19 Pro. The chip will use TSMC's Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Moduletechnology, integrating RAM directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU, and Neural Engine rather than mounting it separately, which should improve performance and battery life while reducing the physical footprint of the chip.
The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models will also feature Apple's C2 modem, which is expected to bring faster speeds, improved power efficiency, and support for mmWave 5G in the United States, a capability absent from the C1 and C1X modems used in earlier iPhones. Other upgrades include Apple's N2 wireless chip and 5G satellite internet.
The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are expected to launch in September 2026, with the standard ‌iPhone 18‌ and the lower-end iPhone 18e following in spring 2027. A foldable iPhone is also expected to debut alongside the Pro models in the fall.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's announcement of its 37th annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWWDC), where the company is expected to unveil a major Siri overhaul alongside iOS 27, macOS 27, and other next-generation operating systems.
Like last year, WWDC 2026 will be a primarily online event open to all developers at no cost, with an in-person component at Apple Park in Cupertino reserved for developers and students selected through a random lottery. Apple will notify accepted in-person attendees on April 2. The keynote and all sessions will be available on the Apple Developer app, Apple's website, and YouTube, with over 100 video sessions and interactive labs with Apple engineers and designers planned across the week.
Apple first unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC 2024, promising a smarter Siri with personal context, on-screen awareness, and deeper app integration, features that were delayed in March 2025, delayed again at WWDC 2025, and then missed a further internal target of iOS 26.4. Apple confirmed in its announcement that the conference will "spotlight incredible updates for Apple platforms, including AI advancements and exciting new software and developer tools," which points clearly to what is shaping up to be the most consequential ‌Siri‌ update ever.
The revamped ‌Siri‌ is said to be a sweeping redesign that turns Apple's long-struggling assistant into a full AI chatbot, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting that Apple is testing a standalone ‌Siri‌ app displaying prior conversations in a list or grid, with pinned and searchable chats and iMessage-style chat bubbles. ‌Siri‌ is also said to be gaining Dynamic Island integration, with a glowing icon and "searching" label while processing requests, an "Ask ‌Siri‌" button in third-party app menus, and a "Write with ‌Siri‌" keyboard option, while Spotlight is expected to be replaced by ‌Siri‌ as the primary search interface on iPhone.
The technology underpinning virtually all of this comes from Apple's multi-year partnership with Google, under which next-generation Apple Foundation Models are based on Gemini, with processing continuing to run on-device and in Private Cloud Compute. Separately, Apple plans to open Siri to third-party AI chatbots in ‌iOS 27‌ via an "Extensions" system in Settings, ending OpenAI's exclusive arrangement and allowing users to direct queries to Claude, Gemini, Grok, and others.
Beyond ‌Siri‌, iOS 27 is expected to be a relatively lean update, described as a "Snow Leopard" year, focused on performance improvements, bug fixes, and code cleanup rather than major new feature additions. Notable exceptions include optimizations for Apple's first foldable iPhone, which is expected to launch in the fall, and new satellite connectivity features.
macOS 27 will apparently share the same ‌Siri‌ upgrades and "Snow Leopard" stability focus. It will drop support for Intel-based Macs entirely. Apple will also unveil iPadOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27 at the keynote.
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On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's surprise announcement of the AirPods Max 2 this week.
The ‌AirPods Max 2‌ introduce a range of improvements primarily driven by the addition of Apple's H2 chip, which replaces the H1 chip used in previous models. This new chip underpins most of the upgrades, enabling more advanced computational audio and significantly enhancing the overall listening experience.
One of the most notable improvements is Active Noise Cancellation, which Apple says is up to 1.5x more effective than before, making the headphones better suited to noisy environments such as travel. Transparency mode is also refined, with more natural-sounding ambient audio and improved clarity when hearing voices and surroundings.
The H2 chip also facilitates a suite of new adaptive listening features. Adaptive Audio dynamically adjusts the balance between noise cancellation and environmental sound depending on your surroundings, while Conversation Awareness automatically lowers playback and enhances nearby voices when you begin speaking. Personalized Volume builds on this by learning your listening preferences over time and adjusting volume levels accordingly. In addition, Voice Isolation has been improved, helping to prioritize your voice during calls and reduce background noise more effectively.
Audio quality is enhanced with a new high dynamic range amplifier and updated signal processing. These changes should result in more consistent bass, clearer midrange, more natural vocals, and improved separation of instruments. Spatial Audio has also been refined, offering more accurate sound placement and a more coherent soundstage.
Wireless performance sees an upgrade with support for Bluetooth 5.3, which reduces latency compared to the previous generation. Alongside audio improvements, several new features have been added, including Live Translation powered by Apple Intelligence, the ability to use the Digital Crown as a camera remote for taking photos or controlling video recording, and expanded Siriinteractions, including hands-free activation without "Hey ‌Siri‌" and gesture-based responses.
Despite these updates, several core aspects remain unchanged. The design, materials, and overall form factor are identical to earlier versions, battery life remains at up to 20 hours with noise cancellation enabled, and the headphones continue to use the same Smart Case. Pricing is also unchanged at $549.
‌AirPods Max 2‌ will be available to order on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app starting Wednesday, March 25 in the U.S. and more than 30 other countries, and they launch on an unspecified day in early April.

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss first impressions of the MacBook Neo, Studio DisplayXDR, and iPhone 17e.
Following its announcement last week, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ arrived this week. Unlike every other Apple silicon Mac, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ is powered by the A18 Pro chip originally developed for the iPhone 16 Pro, making it the first Mac to use an iPhone-class processor instead of an M-series chip.
To reach its substantially lower price point, the ‌MacBook Neo‌ makes some compromises. Unlike the MacBook Air, it does not feature keyboard backlighting, a haptic trackpad, P3 wide color, True Tone, ambient light sensing, a camera indicator LED, MagSafe charging, Thunderbolt connectivity, or a 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage, nor does it come with Touch ID as standard. It is also thicker with a slightly reduced battery life, and has larger borders around the slightly smaller display.
That being said, it is $500 cheaper than a ‌MacBook Air‌ and is designed to compete with lower-cost Windows laptops and Chromebooks, while expanding the Mac lineup with a substantially more affordable option. We talk through the real-world impact of some of these compromises, including performance with the A18 Pro chip and 8GB of memory.
The ‌iPhone 17e‌ retains the same design and price as the iPhone 16e but adds the A19 chip, ‌MagSafe‌ support, Apple's second-generation C1X modem, and 256GB of base storage. Apple also introduced a new ‌Studio Display‌ XDR model, replacing the Pro Display XDR. The new model offers a 27-inch 5K mini-LED panel with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR brightness up to 2,000 nits, and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity. We compare both of these new products to their predecessors, as well as the ‌iPhone 17e‌ and the ‌iPhone 16‌ as the two lowest-cost iPhones on sale today.
All of the newly announced devices became available to pre-order on Wednesday, March 4, with the entire lineup scheduled to launch and begin arriving to customers on Wednesday, March 11. The MacRumors Show has its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips.
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