Apple’s new M5 chip is impressive, but raises some questions about contextual Siri.
I’m a bit behind with the news and with my thoughts on all things Apple, but I think the new M5 chip and future Pro and Max chips will be a cut off point for AI features. The marketing for this chip and its AI capabilities are beyond anything else Apple has ever released:
Just a teaser from their full Newsroom article:
A Next-Generation GPU Architecture Optimized for AI and Graphics
With the next-generation GPU architecture in M5, every compute block of the chip is optimized for AI. The 10-core GPU features a dedicated Neural Accelerator in each core, delivering over 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4, and over 6x peak GPU compute for AI performance compared to M1.1 And now with M5, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro benefit from dramatically accelerated processing for AI-driven workflows, such as running diffusion models in apps like Draw Things, or running large language models locally using platforms like webAI.
Apple is still working on the new contextual version of Siri that allegedly can pull information from multiple apps to give you a proper answer to the hallmark question - “When is Mom’s flight landing,” and I think older hardware that was promised this feature will have significantly reduced performance.
The Catch-22 is, Apple has always been about top-notch performance and would axe features on older devices if they performed poorly, so that begs the question (or questions):
Will the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 line of devices even get contextual Siri? Will it have the hardware guts to truly support it without feeling slow and broken? Which Macs will receive the new contextual Siri? Surely an M1 with 8GB of RAM can’t spit out contextual Siri’s answers fast enough to satisfy Apple and even consumers?
Currently, only iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air have 12 GB of RAM, and all iPhone 16 devices and the 15 Pro devices have 8GB of RAM. Next year’s iPhone 18 lineup is rumored to have 12GB of RAM across the lineup to fully support what I would call “Apple Intelligence 2.0” (via MacRumors):
With its latest iPhone lineup, the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max feature 12GB of memory. This is a significant increase of 4GB more their predecessors, largely driven by the demands of on-device artificial intelligence processing.
The iPhone 17 is the only new model to continue to feature 8GB of memory. It looks like that will change with the iPhone 18, with Apple reportedly seeking memory parity across all four models.
At this point we won’t get contextual Siri until WWDC 2026, which means it will release with iOS 27 in September 2026 along with the new iPhone 18 lineup.
I’m a bit behind with the news and with my thoughts on all things Apple, but I think the new M5 chip and future Pro and Max chips will be a cut off point for AI features. The marketing for this chip and its AI capabilities are beyond anything else Apple has ever released:
Just a teaser from their full Newsroom article:
A Next-Generation GPU Architecture Optimized for AI and Graphics
With the next-generation GPU architecture in M5, every compute block of the chip is optimized for AI. The 10-core GPU features a dedicated Neural Accelerator in each core, delivering over 4x peak GPU compute compared to M4, and over 6x peak GPU compute for AI performance compared to M1.1 And now with M5, the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro benefit from dramatically accelerated processing for AI-driven workflows, such as running diffusion models in apps like Draw Things, or running large language models locally using platforms like webAI.
Apple is still working on the new contextual version of Siri that allegedly can pull information from multiple apps to give you a proper answer to the hallmark question - “When is Mom’s flight landing,” and I think older hardware that was promised this feature will have significantly reduced performance.
The Catch-22 is, Apple has always been about top-notch performance and would axe features on older devices if they performed poorly, so that begs the question (or questions):
Will the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 line of devices even get contextual Siri? Will it have the hardware guts to truly support it without feeling slow and broken? Which Macs will receive the new contextual Siri? Surely an M1 with 8GB of RAM can’t spit out contextual Siri’s answers fast enough to satisfy Apple and even consumers?
Currently, only iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air have 12 GB of RAM, and all iPhone 16 devices and the 15 Pro devices have 8GB of RAM. Next year’s iPhone 18 lineup is rumored to have 12GB of RAM across the lineup to fully support what I would call “Apple Intelligence 2.0” (via MacRumors):
With its latest iPhone lineup, the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max feature 12GB of memory. This is a significant increase of 4GB more their predecessors, largely driven by the demands of on-device artificial intelligence processing.
The iPhone 17 is the only new model to continue to feature 8GB of memory. It looks like that will change with the iPhone 18, with Apple reportedly seeking memory parity across all four models.
At this point we won’t get contextual Siri until WWDC 2026, which means it will release with iOS 27 in September 2026 along with the new iPhone 18 lineup.
In an alternate timeline, the iPhone Air was supposed to have a SIM tray, and Apple might have left a physical artifact on the device that proves it.
If you look right underneath the volume down button about 1.75cm below, you can see a faint cutout of a hole that looks like a SIM ejection slot. It’s very, very, very hard to see, and you have to have the proper lighting and some finger oils to really catch a glimpse of it. I found it one day by chance under the perfect set of lights, but it took me several days to find it again and actually photograph it properly. 📓
If you look right underneath the volume down button about 1.75cm below, you can see a faint cutout of a hole that looks like a SIM ejection slot. It’s very, very, very hard to see, and you have to have the proper lighting and some finger oils to really catch a glimpse of it. I found it one day by chance under the perfect set of lights, but it took me several days to find it again and actually photograph it properly.
Trying to clean the spot with a polishing cloth has the opposite effect and makes it impossible to see under the shiny reflective titanium. To try and find it, smudge the area with your finger oils, and apply your finger there for a few seconds so it gets some heat as well. Then lightly rub away the fingerprint with your hands and you will see where it looks like Apple would have put a SIM slot.
Was this supposed to be the ejector slot for a SIM tray?
The same, centered hole pictured next to an iPhone SE. No joke, it might take you days to see it.
Maybe this is just some sort of tool marking for manufacturing purposes, but the story kind of fits. ShrimpApplePro posted a regulatory snapshot on September 7th that shows all the different battery capacities for this year's iPhones, and it included two different battery sizes for the iPhone Air.
After all iPhones were released and Apple confirmed an eSIM only iPhone Air, all of ShrimpApplePro’s battery specs matched exactly, with MacRumors confirming all battery capacities on September 19th.
The lone exception? A 3036mAh, 11.823Wh iPhone Air battery that never made it to mass production. Looks like there might have been some last-minute manufacturing decisions and Apple was confident enough to forego cutting out a SIM slot and recycled all of the lower capacity batteries.
iDrop News has some more details that helps explain the whole eSIM situation in China:
While most countries don’t have a legal requirement that devices have a physical SIM card slot, China is the notable exception. Although there’s no explicit law or regulation, the regulatory framework effectively creates a de facto restriction, as all smartphones sold in China must obtain a Network Access License (NAL) and a State Radio Regulation of China (SRRC) Type Approval Certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The process is somewhat opaque, but most analysts believe the MIIT has created a barrier to eSIM adoption by refusing to approve any devices that don’t include a physical SIM.
In a more recent piece:
Nevertheless, during its Awe Dropping event, Apple seemed optimistic that the iPhone Air would launch in China alongside the rest of this year’s iPhone lineup later that same week, listing it among the same 63 countries that were getting the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
It wasn’t until preorders opened on September 12 that Apple conceded that the iPhone Air wouldn’t be coming to mainland China, with the South China Morning Post reporting it had quietly updated its website to say that release information would be coming later.
At the time, the issue appeared to be mostly bureaucratic. Apple reportedly had all three state-owned carriers on board and ready to support the eSIM-only iPhone Air, but everyone was waiting for the MIIT to give the go-ahead to begin selling them. Apple could only say that it was “working closely with regulatory authorities to bring it to China as soon as possible.
Again, it all sounds very plausible that Apple was going back and forth whether to release a SIM-only version in China with a smaller battery. Considering how normal the current battery life is on the Air, a slightly smaller battery wouldn’t have been a deal breaker. We may never get the full story until years later when somebody writes a book with more details, or an Apple executive spills the beans in an interview.
If this slot was real (which I think it was), it would definitely have been a single SIM slot and not the dual-slot SIM card sandwich just because the device is stupid thin.
My original prediction wasn’t right, but I think I was damn close.
The Fitness app on iPad is a shell of what it could really be.
The iPad’s Fitness app is equal to the Fitness+ tab on the iPhone’s Fitness app. You don’t have tabs for Summary, Workout, or Sharing. This wasn’t a big deal until Apple added the ability to start workouts directly from the iPhone in iOS 26, whether you wear AirPods Pro 3 or Apple Watch. Now that AirPods Pro 3 can track your heart rate and works with countless workout types, it only makes sense for the Fitness app to be the same across all platforms and let you use an iPad to start a workout with metrics tracked on AirPods Pro 3. This would be perfect for people who like to watch videos on their iPad while running, allowing them to see their metrics in a dual-window setup, unlike this unoptimized dual-device setup.
Is Apple gatekeeping the iPad as a Fitness+ only device and limiting its functionality on purpose? Personally, I don’t think so. I’m expecting the app to be updated to be equal to the iPhone app and be more cohesive.
The iPad’s Fitness app is equal to the Fitness+ tab on the iPhone’s Fitness app. You don’t have tabs for Summary, Workout, or Sharing. This wasn’t a big deal until Apple added the ability to start workouts directly from the iPhone in iOS 26, whether you wear AirPods Pro 3 or Apple Watch. Now that AirPods Pro 3 can track your heart rate and works with countless workout types, it only makes sense for the Fitness app to be the same across all platforms and let you use an iPad to start a workout with metrics tracked on AirPods Pro 3. This would be perfect for people who like to watch videos on their iPad while running, allowing them to see their metrics in a dual-window setup, unlike this unoptimized dual-device setup.
Is Apple gatekeeping the iPad as a Fitness+ only device and limiting its functionality on purpose? Personally, I don’t think so. I’m expecting the app to be updated to be equal to the iPhone app and be more cohesive.
AirPods Pro 3 heart rate sensing capabilities - exceeds expectations.
A thorough test by DC Rainmaker showing how accurate the heart rate sensors are in AirPods Pro 3, after the dismal performance with the Powerbeats Pro 2:
In any case, I’m blown away. Like, legit blown away. Not because Apple couldn’t do it, but because the PowerBeats 2 Pro were so bad (and only about 8 months ago), that I’d kinda written off Apple’s ability to get optical HR correct. Further, other companies recent attempts (e.g. Polar’s with Sennheiser), have also been pretty darn bad. All of which tracked with numerous other companies over the years trying, and failing, horrifically.
Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong. Plus, despite urban legends to the contrary, chest straps are rarely perfect either (especially in the cooler fall temps, when there isn’t quite as much sweat, you’ll see issues in the first 5-10 mins).
Just like classic Apple hardware, it just works. I was skeptical myself since Apple’s keynote video shows a guy starting a walking workout, but I did some indoor runs and it worked fine. Indoor runs are pretty basic and don’t involve a lot of head movement, so I tested the AirPods during some HIIT workouts with a lot more head movement, and still they tracked my heart rate without a hitch. I don’t have other devices to really compare the nitty gritty numbers, but they stayed put and the numbers were in line with my Apple Watch metrics.
From a fitness perspective, these are a great device for those who love to live in Apple’s walled garden.
A thorough test by DC Rainmaker showing how accurate the heart rate sensors are in AirPods Pro 3, after the dismal performance with the Powerbeats Pro 2:
In any case, I’m blown away. Like, legit blown away. Not because Apple couldn’t do it, but because the PowerBeats 2 Pro were so bad (and only about 8 months ago), that I’d kinda written off Apple’s ability to get optical HR correct. Further, other companies recent attempts (e.g. Polar’s with Sennheiser), have also been pretty darn bad. All of which tracked with numerous other companies over the years trying, and failing, horrifically.
Apple has managed to do something that really nobody else has: Produce a pretty solid heart rate sensing device in your ears. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it’s really strong. Plus, despite urban legends to the contrary, chest straps are rarely perfect either (especially in the cooler fall temps, when there isn’t quite as much sweat, you’ll see issues in the first 5-10 mins).
Just like classic Apple hardware, it just works. I was skeptical myself since Apple’s keynote video shows a guy starting a walking workout, but I did some indoor runs and it worked fine. Indoor runs are pretty basic and don’t involve a lot of head movement, so I tested the AirPods during some HIIT workouts with a lot more head movement, and still they tracked my heart rate without a hitch. I don’t have other devices to really compare the nitty gritty numbers, but they stayed put and the numbers were in line with my Apple Watch metrics.
From a fitness perspective, these are a great device for those who love to live in Apple’s walled garden.
iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro - the paradox of choice.
One of the reasons I left Android for iPhone was the constant barrage of new devices being released with Android. Literally a new phone every few months, which made me a serial buyer and seller. The guy at the AT&T store even knew me by first name at one point.
Things really peaked around 2010-2012, where I had a new phone every couple of months, and when I finally did decide to keep a phone, I would start rooting it and installing new ROMs several times a week, trying to tweak and change devices.
My priorities did change after a while with kids and moving for work, but the kids were still young, so I had time to tinker around and get the ideal setup for my device. The ideal though, kept changing, and from one day to the next, there would always be some issues with a ROM update causing some key feature to glitch out.
Once the Nexus line of phones came out, the frantic buying and selling was tamed a bit, but the other flagships got better and better, outpacing Google’s yearly upgrade that just didn’t cut it anymore.
Back to the serial upgrading and selling.
I realized I couldn’t keep living like this. I needed a simple solution and wanted out of the modding game. Even if I didn’t root an Android phone, I could install a custom launcher or custom icons, and there we go again with the constant tweaking and tinkering of the device instead of actually using the device!
I finally decided that this couldn’t go on forever, and in 2012, I decided to get an iPhone 5.
The best tech decision I ever made.
It still had limitations over Android, but now I had the best smartphone with the best camera that only upgrades once a year.
Now the process was simple:
Buy the newest iPhone each year. It will be the most premium device with the most features.
There was always the possibility of tinkering with the iPhone, but for some reason, the idea of jailbreaking never tempted me. It just felt right the way it was. The upgrade cycle was also a relief on my mind (and wallet), to wait until September to get the latest and sell the previous year’s device.
How I wish it was that easy today.
The journey between 2016 - 2024 was a pretty standard one, with the Plus or Pro Max versions dominating my decision. Only twice did I gravitate towards a non-flagship phone, and in one of those cases, the flagship phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max) was my wife’s phone of choice, making it easier for me to go polar opposite and get the 12 mini. Wherever I wanted to look at the 12 Pro Max, all I had to do was grab my wife’s phone and fondle it for a few minutes (don’t judge me).
After a year with the iPhone 12 mini, I realized that I needed to go back to my flagship days and life was good for 4 years straight:
2021 - iPhone 13 Pro Max
2022 - iPhone 14 Pro Max
2023 - iPhone 15 Pro Max
2024 - iPhone 16 Pro Max
The regular iPhone 17 is out of the question just to be clear, as I am going for the most premium experience. The question is, what is the most premium experience now??
This is a question not just for me, but for any iPhone enthusiast.
The iPhone Air speaks to my heart, but the iPhone 17 Pro speaks to my mind. The battle between the heart and mind has never been so hard until this year, and that’s because Apple has done something this year that they never did with the iPhone:
The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro in 2025 is the first time Apple has separated luxury and features. They used to be intertwined into one device, but now it has bifurcated into two polar opposites.
That feeling of, “wow, I can’t believe I have this beautiful device that is so capable,” is harder to answer.
You pick the Air, and you can marvel at its beauty and thinness, but it lacks in the camera department.
You pick the 17 Pro, and it reminds you of the sumo wrestler that’s strong, thick, and capable, but he ain’t gonna win any beauty contests.
Build quality and feel
iPhone 17 Pro is more rounded thanks to the unibody aluminum chassis, but it is also more slippery, making the polished Titanium on the Air more appealing with its grippy, secure feel. I drop my phones occasionally, and the last thing I want to see is a dent on my “premium” aluminum device.
That’s right, aluminum is much softer than titanium, and any hard crashes onto concrete on a naked iPhone (and even with some thin cases) is a recipe for dents and deep scratches. Durability is unbelievable on iPhone Air, with Titanium that’s almost unbendable, and more importantly undentable (I just made that up) when dropped from normal heights. You might see scuffs, but you will have to inspect the device closely to really find them. The plateau is also made of glass, making it much harder to scratch compared to iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum plateau. From a fall, the plateaus are about even durability wise since aluminum will 100% scuff hard especially around the sharper edges, but the Air’s glass could break.
The feel in hand is about the same, yet different. The thicker, rounded 17 Pro is nice to wrap around the hand and sits well, but the thinner Air wraps around the hand just as well even though it is wider (71.9mm vs 74.7mm). Both feel comfortable in the hand, and both have a sense of amazement, giving off that, “I can’t believe I have this much power in my hand,” feeling whenever I hold them. I can easily touch my thumb to my middle finger when wrapping my hand around the phone.
Both devices look premium in different ways. I love the two-tone back of the Pro and really like the Deep Blue aluminum plateau that shimmers in the right kind of light. The camera lenses also look a lot better sitting on aluminum instead of glass, with camera rings that match the material and texture of the plateau. Symmetry is back on the 17 Pro, with the bottom USB-C port being flanked by an even number of speaker and microphone holes on either side. I can’t even remember the last iPhone flagship that had full symmetry at the bottom (after checking, it was the iPhone X).
iPhone Air looks more premium than the 17 Pro in other ways, with its high gloss titanium frame and also symmetrical microphone holes on the bottom. I am a bit disgruntled by the uneven USB-C port, and it does take away from the ultra-premium feel just a little bit. The thinness and lightness is another premium aspect in and of itself. The simplicity of the back glass and plateau is also elegant, with just one camera followed by a smooth pane of glass that covers the guts of the phone.
The titanium does overall beat out the 17 Pro in terms of overall premium build because thicker aluminum is just not as premium or rigid as thinner, polished titanium. No matter how wonderful and nostalgic Molly Anderson’s voiceover was for the iPhone 17 Pro launch, with a British accent that is right in line with Jony Ive, it won’t transform aluminum into a premium material.
Cameras
iPhone Air is very sleek and feels like the future, but it also regresses in the camera department which is a big deal for me. I miss taking ultra-wide photos and telephoto portraits of my children, but I also take a lot of photos of papers and receipts. The one annoying thing on an iPhone with an ultra-wide camera is when it auto switches to macro mode when taking pictures of said receipts. Not a problem on the Air! As for kid photos, the wife takes more than I do and they’re amazing quality on her 16 Plus, so do I really need the 3 lenses? I also have a Canon M50 with a macro lens. It is a beginner camera but will still outshines any mobile camera if you know what you’re doing (I mostly know what I’m doing and don’t just use the dummy modes on cameras).
I did test out the camera system on the 17 Pro, and it is really a big jump in quality and convenience. The 4x telephoto is the perfect balance between Apple’s 3x and 5x, and I can easily get good portrait shots even in my modestly sized living room. Of course if I do want to zoom in more, going to 8x still produces very nice photos at 12 megapixels that are really a treat to look at. Once again, this is only a big deal for me mainly because of kids, or else the cameras wouldn’t be a huge factor. The front facing cameras are the same on both devices, and it is a huge improvement with the square sensor that acts as a Center Stage camera when on a FaceTime call.
The iPhone Air’s main camera is also very serviceable, and even has a closer focusing distance than the 17 Pro still making it capable for pseudo-macro shots. You obviously don’t have ultrawide or telephoto capabilities. Still, not a deal breaker if all you want is a decent camera and you don’t really zoom in too much. The single camera also gives the back of the phone a cleaner look. But damn, those Pro cameras really have taken it to another level this year.
Display
As a Pro Max user for many years, the 6.3-inch Pro size is feeling just a bit too small for me, but it feels great in the hand. The 6.9-inch Pro Max display is also surprisingly comfortable since the device feels lighter than my 16 Pro Max did. I think that has to do with the extra thickness and lower overall density of the device. The iPhone Air feels like the perfect balance with its 6.5-inch display. If the Air was any smaller, it would be a non-contender, but I think Apple had to make it 6.5-inches in order to get the biggest battery they could. Once again, a very hard decision - the 17 Pro feels amazing in the hand, the 17 Pro Max doesn’t feel cumbersome, but the Air feels and looks like a Pro Max device from years past, looking even better from a distance when lying flat on a surface giving the illusory feeling that you’re just looking at a display panel and not a phone.
Battery
It’s a win-win for both devices. Most people thought the iPhone Air battery would be atrocious, but it matches the battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro. The 17 Pro and Pro Max get big battery upgrades from previous years, and even if you’re going from any recent Pro Max device to the 6.3-inch 17 Pro, you will have better battery life than your previous, bigger device. If you’re a 16 Pro Max user that wants to “downgrade“ to a smaller 17 Pro, the battery life numbers are equal per Apple’s benchmarks.
The iPhone Air is also no slouch either and easily lasts all day with normal use, equaling the battery life of an iPhone 16 Pro. Impressive battery life all around this year for both devices, considering what you are getting form factor wise.
I am getting less than ideal battery life on the iPhone Air, but that’s because I just. can’t. put. the. device. down!
Performance
For most normal users, there is no difference in performance between these phones. Your standard social media, photos and videos, call, texts, etc., are all going to be smooth with no hiccups.
Of course, if you’re a true Pro user, you already know the Pro is for you. People who want the Air but think it will be a slower device because it has one less GPU core don’t need to worry. Aside from the cameras, I would say the Air is 99% capable of doing everything the iPhone 17 Pro can do.
With iPhone Air, you can have your cake and eat it too.
If you could only pick one…
This is the million-dollar question, or the $1,000 question:
Which device do I pick?
I had to use the 17 Pro in isolation for almost two weeks, followed by the Air for a week. The choice was hard when using the 17 Pro, but it became much easier when using the iPhone Air.
iPhone Air is the way to go if you’re really looking for a fresh experience with the least amount of sacrifices. Sacrifices, not compromises because there is nothing compromised on the iPhone Air.
It really just boils down to this:
Which device gives you that feeling, that whenever you pick it up, makes you think, “Damn, I can’t believe I have this much power in my hands.”
For me, it’s iPhone Air…
I think.
Because those cameras…on the iPhone 17 Pro…man they’re good.
But it feels cheaper than the Air…that just feels amazing every time you hold it.
But the Pro’s Plateau looks amazing especially in Deep Blue with the light shimmering on it just right.
I’m still torn between these two devices. I can’t make up my mind.
I’m cooked.
One of the reasons I left Android for iPhone was the constant barrage of new devices being released with Android. Literally a new phone every few months, which made me a serial buyer and seller. The guy at the AT&T store even knew me by first name at one point.
Things really peaked around 2010-2012, where I had a new phone every couple of months, and when I finally did decide to keep a phone, I would start rooting it and installing new ROMs several times a week, trying to tweak and change devices.
My priorities did change after a while with kids and moving for work, but the kids were still young, so I had time to tinker around and get the ideal setup for my device. The ideal though, kept changing, and from one day to the next, there would always be some issues with a ROM update causing some key feature to glitch out.
Once the Nexus line of phones came out, the frantic buying and selling was tamed a bit, but the other flagships got better and better, outpacing Google’s yearly upgrade that just didn’t cut it anymore.
Back to the serial upgrading and selling.
I realized I couldn’t keep living like this. I needed a simple solution and wanted out of the modding game. Even if I didn’t root an Android phone, I could install a custom launcher or custom icons, and there we go again with the constant tweaking and tinkering of the device instead of actually using the device!
I finally decided that this couldn’t go on forever, and in 2012, I decided to get an iPhone 5.
The best tech decision I ever made.
It still had limitations over Android, but now I had the best smartphone with the best camera that only upgrades once a year.
Now the process was simple:
Buy the newest iPhone each year. It will be the most premium device with the most features.
There was always the possibility of tinkering with the iPhone, but for some reason, the idea of jailbreaking never tempted me. It just felt right the way it was. The upgrade cycle was also a relief on my mind (and wallet), to wait until September to get the latest and sell the previous year’s device.
How I wish it was that easy today.
The journey between 2016 - 2024 was a pretty standard one, with the Plus or Pro Max versions dominating my decision. Only twice did I gravitate towards a non-flagship phone, and in one of those cases, the flagship phone (iPhone 12 Pro Max) was my wife’s phone of choice, making it easier for me to go polar opposite and get the 12 mini. Wherever I wanted to look at the 12 Pro Max, all I had to do was grab my wife’s phone and fondle it for a few minutes (don’t judge me).
After a year with the iPhone 12 mini, I realized that I needed to go back to my flagship days and life was good for 4 years straight:
2021 - iPhone 13 Pro Max
2022 - iPhone 14 Pro Max
2023 - iPhone 15 Pro Max
2024 - iPhone 16 Pro Max
The regular iPhone 17 is out of the question just to be clear, as I am going for the most premium experience. The question is, what is the most premium experience now??
This is a question not just for me, but for any iPhone enthusiast.
The iPhone Air speaks to my heart, but the iPhone 17 Pro speaks to my mind. The battle between the heart and mind has never been so hard until this year, and that’s because Apple has done something this year that they never did with the iPhone:
The iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro in 2025 is the first time Apple has separated luxury and features. They used to be intertwined into one device, but now it has bifurcated into two polar opposites.
That feeling of, “wow, I can’t believe I have this beautiful device that is so capable,” is harder to answer.
You pick the Air, and you can marvel at its beauty and thinness, but it lacks in the camera department.
You pick the 17 Pro, and it reminds you of the sumo wrestler that’s strong, thick, and capable, but he ain’t gonna win any beauty contests.
Build quality and feel
iPhone 17 Pro is more rounded thanks to the unibody aluminum chassis, but it is also more slippery, making the polished Titanium on the Air more appealing with its grippy, secure feel. I drop my phones occasionally, and the last thing I want to see is a dent on my “premium” aluminum device.
That’s right, aluminum is much softer than titanium, and any hard crashes onto concrete on a naked iPhone (and even with some thin cases) is a recipe for dents and deep scratches. Durability is unbelievable on iPhone Air, with Titanium that’s almost unbendable, and more importantly undentable (I just made that up) when dropped from normal heights. You might see scuffs, but you will have to inspect the device closely to really find them. The plateau is also made of glass, making it much harder to scratch compared to iPhone 17 Pro’s aluminum plateau. From a fall, the plateaus are about even durability wise since aluminum will 100% scuff hard especially around the sharper edges, but the Air’s glass could break.
The feel in hand is about the same, yet different. The thicker, rounded 17 Pro is nice to wrap around the hand and sits well, but the thinner Air wraps around the hand just as well even though it is wider (71.9mm vs 74.7mm). Both feel comfortable in the hand, and both have a sense of amazement, giving off that, “I can’t believe I have this much power in my hand,” feeling whenever I hold them. I can easily touch my thumb to my middle finger when wrapping my hand around the phone.
Both devices look premium in different ways. I love the two-tone back of the Pro and really like the Deep Blue aluminum plateau that shimmers in the right kind of light. The camera lenses also look a lot better sitting on aluminum instead of glass, with camera rings that match the material and texture of the plateau. Symmetry is back on the 17 Pro, with the bottom USB-C port being flanked by an even number of speaker and microphone holes on either side. I can’t even remember the last iPhone flagship that had full symmetry at the bottom (after checking, it was the iPhone X).
iPhone Air looks more premium than the 17 Pro in other ways, with its high gloss titanium frame and also symmetrical microphone holes on the bottom. I am a bit disgruntled by the uneven USB-C port, and it does take away from the ultra-premium feel just a little bit. The thinness and lightness is another premium aspect in and of itself. The simplicity of the back glass and plateau is also elegant, with just one camera followed by a smooth pane of glass that covers the guts of the phone.
The titanium does overall beat out the 17 Pro in terms of overall premium build because thicker aluminum is just not as premium or rigid as thinner, polished titanium. No matter how wonderful and nostalgic Molly Anderson’s voiceover was for the iPhone 17 Pro launch, with a British accent that is right in line with Jony Ive, it won’t transform aluminum into a premium material.
Cameras
iPhone Air is very sleek and feels like the future, but it also regresses in the camera department which is a big deal for me. I miss taking ultra-wide photos and telephoto portraits of my children, but I also take a lot of photos of papers and receipts. The one annoying thing on an iPhone with an ultra-wide camera is when it auto switches to macro mode when taking pictures of said receipts. Not a problem on the Air! As for kid photos, the wife takes more than I do and they’re amazing quality on her 16 Plus, so do I really need the 3 lenses? I also have a Canon M50 with a macro lens. It is a beginner camera but will still outshines any mobile camera if you know what you’re doing (I mostly know what I’m doing and don’t just use the dummy modes on cameras).
I did test out the camera system on the 17 Pro, and it is really a big jump in quality and convenience. The 4x telephoto is the perfect balance between Apple’s 3x and 5x, and I can easily get good portrait shots even in my modestly sized living room. Of course if I do want to zoom in more, going to 8x still produces very nice photos at 12 megapixels that are really a treat to look at. Once again, this is only a big deal for me mainly because of kids, or else the cameras wouldn’t be a huge factor. The front facing cameras are the same on both devices, and it is a huge improvement with the square sensor that acts as a Center Stage camera when on a FaceTime call.
The iPhone Air’s main camera is also very serviceable, and even has a closer focusing distance than the 17 Pro still making it capable for pseudo-macro shots. You obviously don’t have ultrawide or telephoto capabilities. Still, not a deal breaker if all you want is a decent camera and you don’t really zoom in too much. The single camera also gives the back of the phone a cleaner look. But damn, those Pro cameras really have taken it to another level this year.
Display
As a Pro Max user for many years, the 6.3-inch Pro size is feeling just a bit too small for me, but it feels great in the hand. The 6.9-inch Pro Max display is also surprisingly comfortable since the device feels lighter than my 16 Pro Max did. I think that has to do with the extra thickness and lower overall density of the device. The iPhone Air feels like the perfect balance with its 6.5-inch display. If the Air was any smaller, it would be a non-contender, but I think Apple had to make it 6.5-inches in order to get the biggest battery they could. Once again, a very hard decision - the 17 Pro feels amazing in the hand, the 17 Pro Max doesn’t feel cumbersome, but the Air feels and looks like a Pro Max device from years past, looking even better from a distance when lying flat on a surface giving the illusory feeling that you’re just looking at a display panel and not a phone.
Battery
It’s a win-win for both devices. Most people thought the iPhone Air battery would be atrocious, but it matches the battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro. The 17 Pro and Pro Max get big battery upgrades from previous years, and even if you’re going from any recent Pro Max device to the 6.3-inch 17 Pro, you will have better battery life than your previous, bigger device. If you’re a 16 Pro Max user that wants to “downgrade“ to a smaller 17 Pro, the battery life numbers are equal per Apple’s benchmarks.
The iPhone Air is also no slouch either and easily lasts all day with normal use, equaling the battery life of an iPhone 16 Pro. Impressive battery life all around this year for both devices, considering what you are getting form factor wise.
I am getting less than ideal battery life on the iPhone Air, but that’s because I just. can’t. put. the. device. down!
Performance
For most normal users, there is no difference in performance between these phones. Your standard social media, photos and videos, call, texts, etc., are all going to be smooth with no hiccups.
Of course, if you’re a true Pro user, you already know the Pro is for you. People who want the Air but think it will be a slower device because it has one less GPU core don’t need to worry. Aside from the cameras, I would say the Air is 99% capable of doing everything the iPhone 17 Pro can do.
With iPhone Air, you can have your cake and eat it too.
If you could only pick one…
This is the million-dollar question, or the $1,000 question:
Which device do I pick?
I had to use the 17 Pro in isolation for almost two weeks, followed by the Air for a week. The choice was hard when using the 17 Pro, but it became much easier when using the iPhone Air.
iPhone Air is the way to go if you’re really looking for a fresh experience with the least amount of sacrifices. Sacrifices, not compromises because there is nothing compromised on the iPhone Air.
It really just boils down to this:
Which device gives you that feeling, that whenever you pick it up, makes you think, “Damn, I can’t believe I have this much power in my hands.”
For me, it’s iPhone Air…
I think.
Because those cameras…on the iPhone 17 Pro…man they’re good.
But it feels cheaper than the Air…that just feels amazing every time you hold it.
But the Pro’s Plateau looks amazing especially in Deep Blue with the light shimmering on it just right.
I’m still torn between these two devices. I can’t make up my mind.
I’m cooked.
Tested - iPhone Air MagSafe Battery.
Small but informative video from Aaron at MobileReviewsEh about the wireless abilities of the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery.
Its wired capabilities are not impressive, but that’s not the point of this battery. It really shines as a wireless device, charging his “test iPhone” faster while running cooler than all the other battery banks he used for testing (a literal bucket full of battery banks).
Small but informative video from Aaron at MobileReviewsEh about the wireless abilities of the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery.
Its wired capabilities are not impressive, but that’s not the point of this battery. It really shines as a wireless device, charging his “test iPhone” faster while running cooler than all the other battery banks he used for testing (a literal bucket full of battery banks).
The single reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10.
There’s only one reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10, and this feature is for the cheaper aluminum models. The aluminum models this year have a tougher display that is twice as resistant to scratches compared to the Series 10 and lower:
The cover glass of aluminum models of Apple Watch Series 11 offers 2x more scratch resistance. Made from a unique Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass — a custom, proprietary glass that is already the toughest in the industry — the display is now treated with a breakthrough Apple-designed ceramic coating that bonds to the glass at an atomic level through a physical vapor deposition process, significantly hardening the surface.
I haven’t seen any tests online of this new glass, but if it is anything like the new Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, this display will be great for aluminum lovers who worry about a display that easily gets scratched. Every single aluminum Apple Watch that I purchased in the past 10 years got scratched without fail, no matter how much I tried to baby the watch.
Besides that bullet point, the only other three upgrades for the Series 11:
5G vs LTE
Dual band Wi-Fi 4 (2.4GHz and 5.1GHz) vs standard (single band?) Wi-Fi 4 on the Series 10
24 hour battery life vs 18 hour battery life.
99% of people don’t care about 5G on an Apple Watch, and 99.9% of people won’t care about the Wi-Fi upgrades. The battery upgrades are negligible and are not due to a significant increase in battery size, but more a function of the parameters used for testing as observed by MacRumors’ forum users:
As spotted by a user on the MacRumors forums, the primary difference between the two test scenarios in Apple's official documentation is the inclusion of sleep tracking in the Series 11's evaluation. Apple states that the 24-hour figure is based on 300 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 minutes of app use, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and six hours of sleep tracking. The comparable Series 10 test lists the same parameters but does not include sleep tracking.
While Apple does not break down the exact battery drain of each activity, sleep tracking is generally a low-power feature, allowing older Apple Watch models to be worn overnight without fully depleting their charge. Many users have pointed out that Apple Watches have long exceeded the company's stated 18-hour battery life in real-world use, with most users comfortably achieving overnight tracking. This suggests that the six-hour increase is primarily a result of Apple adding sleep tracking to its official scenario, rather than a significant increase in real-world battery life.
If you’re deciding on getting an aluminum Apple Watch, go for the Series 11 since the upgraded display is worth the extra money compared to a discounted Series 10.
If you’re deciding on a titanium Apple Watch, go for the Series 10 since you can save at least $100 compared to the Series 11. Right now you can get a Slate Titanium with Milanese Loop on Amazon for $629 vs $799 for the Series 11.
If you’re among the elite few who heavily relies on Apple Watch’s cellular connection, get the Series 11.
There’s only one reason to get the Series 11 over the Series 10, and this feature is for the cheaper aluminum models. The aluminum models this year have a tougher display that is twice as resistant to scratches compared to the Series 10 and lower:
The cover glass of aluminum models of Apple Watch Series 11 offers 2x more scratch resistance. Made from a unique Ion-X (ion-exchanged strengthened) glass — a custom, proprietary glass that is already the toughest in the industry — the display is now treated with a breakthrough Apple-designed ceramic coating that bonds to the glass at an atomic level through a physical vapor deposition process, significantly hardening the surface.
I haven’t seen any tests online of this new glass, but if it is anything like the new Ceramic Shield 2 on the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, this display will be great for aluminum lovers who worry about a display that easily gets scratched. Every single aluminum Apple Watch that I purchased in the past 10 years got scratched without fail, no matter how much I tried to baby the watch.
Besides that bullet point, the only other three upgrades for the Series 11:
5G vs LTE
Dual band Wi-Fi 4 (2.4GHz and 5.1GHz) vs standard (single band?) Wi-Fi 4 on the Series 10
24 hour battery life vs 18 hour battery life.
99% of people don’t care about 5G on an Apple Watch, and 99.9% of people won’t care about the Wi-Fi upgrades. The battery upgrades are negligible and are not due to a significant increase in battery size, but more a function of the parameters used for testing as observed by MacRumors’ forum users:
As spotted by a user on the MacRumors forums, the primary difference between the two test scenarios in Apple's official documentation is the inclusion of sleep tracking in the Series 11's evaluation. Apple states that the 24-hour figure is based on 300 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 minutes of app use, a 60-minute workout with music playback, and six hours of sleep tracking. The comparable Series 10 test lists the same parameters but does not include sleep tracking.
While Apple does not break down the exact battery drain of each activity, sleep tracking is generally a low-power feature, allowing older Apple Watch models to be worn overnight without fully depleting their charge. Many users have pointed out that Apple Watches have long exceeded the company's stated 18-hour battery life in real-world use, with most users comfortably achieving overnight tracking. This suggests that the six-hour increase is primarily a result of Apple adding sleep tracking to its official scenario, rather than a significant increase in real-world battery life.
If you’re deciding on getting an aluminum Apple Watch, go for the Series 11 since the upgraded display is worth the extra money compared to a discounted Series 10.
If you’re deciding on a titanium Apple Watch, go for the Series 10 since you can save at least $100 compared to the Series 11. Right now you can get a Slate Titanium with Milanese Loop on Amazon for $629 vs $799 for the Series 11.
If you’re among the elite few who heavily relies on Apple Watch’s cellular connection, get the Series 11.
Is your new iPhone battery replacement as old as the battery you got replaced?
My wife’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has 78% battery health, and I was thinking about getting it serviced with a fresh battery about a month ago. I went to the Apple Store, and one of the Geniuses told me the strangest thing about Apple’s replacement batteries (rough quotes here):
Genius: We can replace your battery, but since Apple made all the batteries for the iPhone 12s when they were first released, it still won’t last as long as a brand new phone’s battery.
Me: OK, so this iPhone was released back in 2020, and you’re telling me that if you do a battery replacement, that new battery will also be from 2020?
Genius: Yes, and it won’t last as long.
In my head I was thinking - umm…what are you talking about? Do you know what you’re even talking about?? Then it all made sense:
Genius: You’re better off trading it in for a newer device.
Aah, the ole upsell tactic. The trade-in offer for the 12 Pro Max was $280, but I declined and held off on the battery replacement since there is another year before the 12 Pro Max goes vintage.
I really hope this person was the only person using this tactic because it’s a lie. I wonder how many other people are told this insanity, that all genuine replacement batteries were already made 5 years ago, and they’re just sitting in a warehouse somewhere, slowly degrading over time. No doubt there are iPhone replacement batteries being stored away, but maybe they’re a few months old? Apple doesn’t like to hoard components, especially for 5 years.
They follow the Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing method:
Apple uses a just-in-time manufacturing approach, which means that components and finished goods are manufactured and delivered to Apple’s warehouses and retail stores as close to the time of need as possible. This reduces the need for Apple to maintain large inventories.
For the record, here’s what Apple says about their batteries:
iPhone uses built-in, high-quality lithium-ion batteries. They're rigorously designed, tested, and manufactured to meet Apple quality and performance standards. These genuine Apple batteries have also been certified for safety.
The things said at an Apple Store never cease to amaze me. You really do learn something new everyday, at the Genius Bar.
My wife’s iPhone 12 Pro Max has 78% battery health, and I was thinking about getting it serviced with a fresh battery about a month ago. I went to the Apple Store, and one of the Geniuses told me the strangest thing about Apple’s replacement batteries (rough quotes here):
Genius: We can replace your battery, but since Apple made all the batteries for the iPhone 12s when they were first released, it still won’t last as long as a brand new phone’s battery.
Me: OK, so this iPhone was released back in 2020, and you’re telling me that if you do a battery replacement, that new battery will also be from 2020?
Genius: Yes, and it won’t last as long.
In my head I was thinking - umm…what are you talking about? Do you know what you’re even talking about?? Then it all made sense:
Genius: You’re better off trading it in for a newer device.
Aah, the ole upsell tactic. The trade-in offer for the 12 Pro Max was $280, but I declined and held off on the battery replacement since there is another year before the 12 Pro Max goes vintage.
I really hope this person was the only person using this tactic because it’s a lie. I wonder how many other people are told this insanity, that all genuine replacement batteries were already made 5 years ago, and they’re just sitting in a warehouse somewhere, slowly degrading over time. No doubt there are iPhone replacement batteries being stored away, but maybe they’re a few months old? Apple doesn’t like to hoard components, especially for 5 years.
They follow the Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing method:
Apple uses a just-in-time manufacturing approach, which means that components and finished goods are manufactured and delivered to Apple’s warehouses and retail stores as close to the time of need as possible. This reduces the need for Apple to maintain large inventories.
For the record, here’s what Apple says about their batteries:
iPhone uses built-in, high-quality lithium-ion batteries. They're rigorously designed, tested, and manufactured to meet Apple quality and performance standards. These genuine Apple batteries have also been certified for safety.
The things said at an Apple Store never cease to amaze me. You really do learn something new everyday, at the Genius Bar.
Mercedes-Benz is the latest to backtrack on touchscreens and focus more on physical controls in their vehicles.
Jesus Diaz from Fast Company (News+ link):
For years, Mercedes-Benz has relied on touchscreens as the command center of its vehicles. Is it too hot? Tap the screen to set the AC temperature. Want to listen to the news? Tap. Defrost the rear window? Tap, tap, tap. While the automaker has retained some physical controls in its cars, its modern user experience is effectively built around the screen.
But that’s about to change.
Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, recently announced that the company would be centering future car design around physical controls instead of screens. “The data shows us physical buttons are better,” Östberg told Autocar at the Munich motor show. He says Mercedes will begin integrating more physical controls into its digitally focused cabins starting in 2026.
Mercedes’ announcement is part of a bigger industry trend…
with carmakers like Hyundai leading the charge to bring back knobs and buttons to its cars. Earlier this year, fellow German automaker Volkswagen, also announced plans to fix its touchscreen problem, saying that it was “taking a step back to move forward.”
After more than a decade of car screens growing bigger and brighter, the auto industry finally seems to be acknowledging what drivers (and science!) has known all along: physical buttons are safer and more pleasant to use.
I hear the sound of nails hammering a coffin shut. What’s inside you ask?
CarPlay Ultra.
Jesus Diaz from Fast Company (News+ link):
For years, Mercedes-Benz has relied on touchscreens as the command center of its vehicles. Is it too hot? Tap the screen to set the AC temperature. Want to listen to the news? Tap. Defrost the rear window? Tap, tap, tap. While the automaker has retained some physical controls in its cars, its modern user experience is effectively built around the screen.
But that’s about to change.
Magnus Östberg, chief software officer for Mercedes-Benz, recently announced that the company would be centering future car design around physical controls instead of screens. “The data shows us physical buttons are better,” Östberg told Autocar at the Munich motor show. He says Mercedes will begin integrating more physical controls into its digitally focused cabins starting in 2026.
Mercedes’ announcement is part of a bigger industry trend…
with carmakers like Hyundai leading the charge to bring back knobs and buttons to its cars. Earlier this year, fellow German automaker Volkswagen, also announced plans to fix its touchscreen problem, saying that it was “taking a step back to move forward.”
After more than a decade of car screens growing bigger and brighter, the auto industry finally seems to be acknowledging what drivers (and science!) has known all along: physical buttons are safer and more pleasant to use.
I hear the sound of nails hammering a coffin shut. What’s inside you ask?
CarPlay Ultra.
This is why Apple will not make an Apple Ring.
Daniel from ZONEofTECH just went through a harrowing experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. The battery swelled up, leading to the ring being stuck on his finger. He missed a flight, and had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.
This could have ended really badly with a finger amputation (or worse), but thankfully he’s OK. Looks like it’s not the smartest thing to wrap a curved battery around your finger. Unfortunately, this isn’t Samsung’s first rodeo either with bad batteries. At least with a watch or earbuds, you can easily flick them off before any serious damage is done.
People want Apple to make a smart ring, but with AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watches, Apple has 99% of the health market covered when it comes to health tracker placement. I do fall into the 1% who would like a more hidden placement, but definitely not a ring.
Daniel from ZONEofTECH just went through a harrowing experience with Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. The battery swelled up, leading to the ring being stuck on his finger. He missed a flight, and had to go to the emergency room just to get it removed.
This could have ended really badly with a finger amputation (or worse), but thankfully he’s OK. Looks like it’s not the smartest thing to wrap a curved battery around your finger. Unfortunately, this isn’t Samsung’s first rodeo either with bad batteries. At least with a watch or earbuds, you can easily flick them off before any serious damage is done.
People want Apple to make a smart ring, but with AirPods Pro 3 and Apple Watches, Apple has 99% of the health market covered when it comes to health tracker placement. I do fall into the 1% who would like a more hidden placement, but definitely not a ring.
Apple Watch Series 3 breaks Apple’s rules for what is considered vintage.
Joe Rossignol from MacRumors:
All models of the Apple Watch Series 3 were also added to Apple's vintage products list today, a little more than eight years after the device launched.
Apple’s definition of vintage:
Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.
The Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, so technically it shouldn’t be vintage until September 2027. It did have a long run though, being available for sale from 2017-2022. My guess is they made it vintage because it’s just way too outdated both from a software and hardware standpoint.
The vintage period for most Apple products is between 5 and 7 years from when Apple stopped selling a product, and you can still get hardware repairs done. After 7 years, the product becomes obsolete, and Apple stops all hardware support. There are some exceptions but that’s the general rule.
Fun fact - The Series 3 was the best and last version of the original Apple Watch design, with its more boxy shape. If you’re a collector, now is a good time to have Apple swap out the battery before they run out of components, especially if you have the white ceramic model. The Series 3 in general is still a beautiful device that is a good weekend watch, and is worth saving.
Joe Rossignol from MacRumors:
All models of the Apple Watch Series 3 were also added to Apple's vintage products list today, a little more than eight years after the device launched.
Apple’s definition of vintage:
Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.
The Series 3 was discontinued in September 2022, so technically it shouldn’t be vintage until September 2027. It did have a long run though, being available for sale from 2017-2022. My guess is they made it vintage because it’s just way too outdated both from a software and hardware standpoint.
The vintage period for most Apple products is between 5 and 7 years from when Apple stopped selling a product, and you can still get hardware repairs done. After 7 years, the product becomes obsolete, and Apple stops all hardware support. There are some exceptions but that’s the general rule.
Fun fact - The Series 3 was the best and last version of the original Apple Watch design, with its more boxy shape. If you’re a collector, now is a good time to have Apple swap out the battery before they run out of components, especially if you have the white ceramic model. The Series 3 in general is still a beautiful device that is a good weekend watch, and is worth saving.
Ford says no to CarPlay Ultra.
Via the Decoder Podcast (article by MacRumors):
On the latest episode of The Verge's Decoder podcast, released today, Ford CEO Jim Farley told guest host Joanna Stern that the automaker does not entirely like Apple's current implementation of its CarPlay Ultra software system for vehicles.
"We don't like the execution in round one of Ultra, but we're very committed to Apple," said Farley. "I've talked to [Apple CEO] Tim [Cook] many times about this."
Farley implied that Ford is currently passing on CarPlay Ultra because it would result in Apple having "control of the entire experience inside a vehicle."
In addition, he said it is important that Ford's entertainment system of choice integrates with its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
"We just believe ADAS integration with your entertainment system is so critical when you're flying down the highway with your eyes off the road, you know, in three or four years at 80 miles an hour on the I-5," he said.
When it announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra in May, Apple said the system can show information from a vehicle's advanced driver assistance systems, but it sounds like certain functions provided by Ford's systems would not be supported.
Here’s some more of the conversation between Jim Farley and Joanna Stern:
Jim: “We just believe ADAS integration with your entertainment system is so critical when you're flying down the highway with your eyes off the road, you know, in three or four years at 80 miles an hour on the I-5.
Jim: And, you know, you're watching a movie or whatever we're going to be all doing or having a Chad GPT moment or having a wearable on, you know, we just don't think that a system from tech company who's not integrated the car is going to save your life.
Joanna: But it sounds to me then that you're really forced with the reality that you've got to build your own.
Jim: Yes. Yes. But the good thing is now versus five years ago, or a couple years ago when you and I talked, Android Auto is really advancing nicely. And we've learned a lot about how to build the experience on that.
What Jim probably means is Android Automotive, which is completely different from Android Auto and what many car manufacturers use to build their own custom experiences:
Android Automotive is an operating system and platform running directly on the in-vehicle hardware. It is a full-stack, open source, highly customizable platform powering the infotainment experience. Android Automotive supports apps built for Android as well as those built for Android Auto.
CarPlay Ultra is still built on a tethered system to your phone, which just sounds archaic when compared to having a built-in system that just works every single time.
Via the Decoder Podcast (article by MacRumors):
On the latest episode of The Verge's Decoder podcast, released today, Ford CEO Jim Farley told guest host Joanna Stern that the automaker does not entirely like Apple's current implementation of its CarPlay Ultra software system for vehicles.
"We don't like the execution in round one of Ultra, but we're very committed to Apple," said Farley. "I've talked to [Apple CEO] Tim [Cook] many times about this."
Farley implied that Ford is currently passing on CarPlay Ultra because it would result in Apple having "control of the entire experience inside a vehicle."
In addition, he said it is important that Ford's entertainment system of choice integrates with its Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
"We just believe ADAS integration with your entertainment system is so critical when you're flying down the highway with your eyes off the road, you know, in three or four years at 80 miles an hour on the I-5," he said.
When it announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra in May, Apple said the system can show information from a vehicle's advanced driver assistance systems, but it sounds like certain functions provided by Ford's systems would not be supported.
Here’s some more of the conversation between Jim Farley and Joanna Stern:
Jim: “We just believe ADAS integration with your entertainment system is so critical when you're flying down the highway with your eyes off the road, you know, in three or four years at 80 miles an hour on the I-5.
Jim: And, you know, you're watching a movie or whatever we're going to be all doing or having a Chad GPT moment or having a wearable on, you know, we just don't think that a system from tech company who's not integrated the car is going to save your life.
Joanna: But it sounds to me then that you're really forced with the reality that you've got to build your own.
Jim: Yes. Yes. But the good thing is now versus five years ago, or a couple years ago when you and I talked, Android Auto is really advancing nicely. And we've learned a lot about how to build the experience on that.
What Jim probably means is Android Automotive, which is completely different from Android Auto and what many car manufacturers use to build their own custom experiences:
Android Automotive is an operating system and platform running directly on the in-vehicle hardware. It is a full-stack, open source, highly customizable platform powering the infotainment experience. Android Automotive supports apps built for Android as well as those built for Android Auto.
CarPlay Ultra is still built on a tethered system to your phone, which just sounds archaic when compared to having a built-in system that just works every single time.
80% charge limit on iPhones - does it help save battery health?
Juli Clover at MacRumors ran this experiment two years in a row with a 15 Pro Max and a 16 Pro Max, and got the same result each year, keeping her phones’ charging limit at 80%:
• 16 Pro Max - 94% battery health after 297 cycles.
• 15 Pro Max - 94% battery health after 297 cycles in one year.
• 15 Pro Max - 88% battery health after 352 cycles in two years.
I ran a similar test and got similar results each year:
• 15 Pro Max - 99% battery health after 296 cycles.
• 16 Pro Max - 100% battery health after 270 cycles.
I would say my numbers are higher because I use MagSafe more than 90% of the time in cool environments, whereas Juli had a 50/50 mix between MagSafe and fast charging via USB-C, not to mention using battery packs while outside in warmer environments.
Heat is the biggest factor that degrades battery health, and you get the most heat with the fastest charging speeds. The bulk of my charging is in two different bedrooms that are pretty cold - one has a Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1) and one has the standard Apple MagSafe charger.
Annual phone upgraders don’t need a charge limit, unless they want to sell the phone at the best price possible with a higher battery health (yours truly). If you trade in your device each year, then don’t even worry about charge limits.
Juli Clover at MacRumors ran this experiment two years in a row with a 15 Pro Max and a 16 Pro Max, and got the same result each year, keeping her phones’ charging limit at 80%:
• 16 Pro Max - 94% battery health after 297 cycles.
• 15 Pro Max - 94% battery health after 297 cycles in one year.
• 15 Pro Max - 88% battery health after 352 cycles in two years.
I ran a similar test and got similar results each year:
• 15 Pro Max - 99% battery health after 296 cycles.
• 16 Pro Max - 100% battery health after 270 cycles.
I would say my numbers are higher because I use MagSafe more than 90% of the time in cool environments, whereas Juli had a 50/50 mix between MagSafe and fast charging via USB-C, not to mention using battery packs while outside in warmer environments.
Heat is the biggest factor that degrades battery health, and you get the most heat with the fastest charging speeds. The bulk of my charging is in two different bedrooms that are pretty cold - one has a Anker MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1) and one has the standard Apple MagSafe charger.
Annual phone upgraders don’t need a charge limit, unless they want to sell the phone at the best price possible with a higher battery health (yours truly). If you trade in your device each year, then don’t even worry about charge limits.
Did Tim Cook choose the colors for the iPhone 17 Pro?
Being a Charlottesville, Virginia resident, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Damn these iPhones sure look like UVA’s colors.” You can clearly see the resemblance from their branding page.
Tim Cook didn’t go to UVA, but he did go to Auburn. It’s the second thing he writes after “Apple CEO” on his X profile. What are Auburn’s colors, you ask? Also the same colors as the iPhone 17 Pro - Deep Blue and Cosmic Orange.
Surely this can’t just be some coincidence where to the naked eye, both these schools have almost the same orange and blue color. Turns out, there is a relationship between them:
The article “Did You Know? A Collection of University Esoterica” [Winter 2009] reminded me of a question I’ve had in my mind for a long time. I’ve heard it said that Auburn University and the University of Virginia have the same school colors because Virginia helped Auburn establish its football team—and Auburn wanted to show appreciation. Is there any truth to this story?
James B. Davis (Grad ’70)
Lexington, Va.An 1887 University of Virginia graduate, George Petrie, was the organizer and coach of Auburn’s first football team in 1892. In honor of UVA, Petrie chose orange and blue as Auburn’s official colors. His contributions to Auburn didn’t end there; Petrie was the founder of the school’s history department, graduate school and athletics department, as well as the author of the Auburn Creed.—Ed.
The story doesn’t end there, and only gets more intriguing with a story that goes across the pond. The Wall Street Journal had the full scoop back in 2019 when both UVA and Auburn met at the Final Four of the NCAA tournament (News+ link):
It begins with a University of Virginia student named Allen Potts. He was the Zion Williamson of the 19th century. The best athlete on campus, he won the school’s 100-yard dash, the 3-mile run and the broad jump. He was the second baseman for the baseball team. He was the running back for the football team. And he was the unwitting inspiration for today’s basketball team because of one sport he didn’t play.
Mr. Potts was at Oxford University in the summer of 1888 when he began dabbling in crew and became familiar with the English rowing tradition of trading scarfs after regattas. Historians believe that is how he came to own a scarf from the Grosvenor Rowing Club. It was blue and orange.
Virginia’s colors at the time were silver grey and cardinal red. But this was becoming a problem for the school’s football team. Football was played in mud. The mud had to be washed off. The wash turned the red into a faint shade of pink.
What to do with the pink uniforms became such a hot topic of conversation in the fall of 1888 that school leaders called a meeting to pick new colors. When one of the most popular kids on campus arrived, he happened to be wearing the natty attire of the Grosvenor Rowing Club.
Mr. Potts’s scarf was ripped off his neck as someone pointed to the blue and orange stripes, according to a 1904 account in the school newspaper.
“How will these colors do?”
They would do well enough that Virginia’s colors would soon be orange and blue. As it turned out, so would Auburn’s.
George Petrie was responsible for that larceny. He graduated from Virginia in 1887 and taught at Auburn for one year before leaving to pursue a doctorate at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under a professor who happened to be obsessed with football. His name was Woodrow Wilson.
After his time learning about the game from the future president of the U.S., Mr. Petrie returned to Auburn and started a football team there. Yet in 1892, as his team was getting ready to play the Georgia Goats, Auburn didn’t even have colors.
Mr. Petrie was busy trying to solve that problem. He knew where to find the solution: his own alma mater.
Virginia had recently adopted the blue and orange of the Grosvenor Rowing Club and Mr. Petrie decided to swipe the colors for Auburn.
There is some dispute about this piece of folklore from the late 1800s. According to another school legend, from school records and historians, the person responsible for Auburn’s colors was a woman known as “Miss Allie,” who made Mr. Petrie a sweater in Virginia’s colors.
But whether the mastermind was Mr. Petrie or Miss Allie, the plan worked. The heist went off without a hitch.
Auburn had stolen Virginia’s stolen colors.
The craziest part of this story? If you look at Grosvenor Rowing Club’s official colors, they are blue and gold, not blue and orange. They used orange paint instead of gold because gold was too expensive.
The Grosvenor Rowing Club had a secret of its own. The colors on the Grosvenor family coat of arms aren’t blue and orange. They’re blue and gold.
“Gold paint was expensive to put on rowing blades,” said Brian Chapman of the Grosvenor Rowing Club. “Orange was as close as they could get.”
Looks like Tim Cook got a head start giving advice to the Design Team now that Jeff Williams is stepping down. Maybe we’ll see Duke Blue next year?
Being a Charlottesville, Virginia resident, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Damn these iPhones sure look like UVA’s colors.” You can clearly see the resemblance from their branding page.
Tim Cook didn’t go to UVA, but he did go to Auburn. It’s the second thing he writes after “Apple CEO” on his X profile. What are Auburn’s colors, you ask? Also the same colors as the iPhone 17 Pro - Deep Blue and Cosmic Orange.
Surely this can’t just be some coincidence where to the naked eye, both these schools have almost the same orange and blue color. Turns out, there is a relationship between them:
The article “Did You Know? A Collection of University Esoterica” [Winter 2009] reminded me of a question I’ve had in my mind for a long time. I’ve heard it said that Auburn University and the University of Virginia have the same school colors because Virginia helped Auburn establish its football team—and Auburn wanted to show appreciation. Is there any truth to this story?
James B. Davis (Grad ’70)
Lexington, Va.An 1887 University of Virginia graduate, George Petrie, was the organizer and coach of Auburn’s first football team in 1892. In honor of UVA, Petrie chose orange and blue as Auburn’s official colors. His contributions to Auburn didn’t end there; Petrie was the founder of the school’s history department, graduate school and athletics department, as well as the author of the Auburn Creed.—Ed.
The story doesn’t end there, and only gets more intriguing with a story that goes across the pond. The Wall Street Journal had the full scoop back in 2019 when both UVA and Auburn met at the Final Four of the NCAA tournament (News+ link):
It begins with a University of Virginia student named Allen Potts. He was the Zion Williamson of the 19th century. The best athlete on campus, he won the school’s 100-yard dash, the 3-mile run and the broad jump. He was the second baseman for the baseball team. He was the running back for the football team. And he was the unwitting inspiration for today’s basketball team because of one sport he didn’t play.
Mr. Potts was at Oxford University in the summer of 1888 when he began dabbling in crew and became familiar with the English rowing tradition of trading scarfs after regattas. Historians believe that is how he came to own a scarf from the Grosvenor Rowing Club. It was blue and orange.
Virginia’s colors at the time were silver grey and cardinal red. But this was becoming a problem for the school’s football team. Football was played in mud. The mud had to be washed off. The wash turned the red into a faint shade of pink.
What to do with the pink uniforms became such a hot topic of conversation in the fall of 1888 that school leaders called a meeting to pick new colors. When one of the most popular kids on campus arrived, he happened to be wearing the natty attire of the Grosvenor Rowing Club.
Mr. Potts’s scarf was ripped off his neck as someone pointed to the blue and orange stripes, according to a 1904 account in the school newspaper.
“How will these colors do?”
They would do well enough that Virginia’s colors would soon be orange and blue. As it turned out, so would Auburn’s.
George Petrie was responsible for that larceny. He graduated from Virginia in 1887 and taught at Auburn for one year before leaving to pursue a doctorate at Johns Hopkins University, where he studied under a professor who happened to be obsessed with football. His name was Woodrow Wilson.
After his time learning about the game from the future president of the U.S., Mr. Petrie returned to Auburn and started a football team there. Yet in 1892, as his team was getting ready to play the Georgia Goats, Auburn didn’t even have colors.
Mr. Petrie was busy trying to solve that problem. He knew where to find the solution: his own alma mater.
Virginia had recently adopted the blue and orange of the Grosvenor Rowing Club and Mr. Petrie decided to swipe the colors for Auburn.
There is some dispute about this piece of folklore from the late 1800s. According to another school legend, from school records and historians, the person responsible for Auburn’s colors was a woman known as “Miss Allie,” who made Mr. Petrie a sweater in Virginia’s colors.
But whether the mastermind was Mr. Petrie or Miss Allie, the plan worked. The heist went off without a hitch.
Auburn had stolen Virginia’s stolen colors.
The craziest part of this story? If you look at Grosvenor Rowing Club’s official colors, they are blue and gold, not blue and orange. They used orange paint instead of gold because gold was too expensive.
The Grosvenor Rowing Club had a secret of its own. The colors on the Grosvenor family coat of arms aren’t blue and orange. They’re blue and gold.
“Gold paint was expensive to put on rowing blades,” said Brian Chapman of the Grosvenor Rowing Club. “Orange was as close as they could get.”
Looks like Tim Cook got a head start giving advice to the Design Team now that Jeff Williams is stepping down. Maybe we’ll see Duke Blue next year?
Ceramic Shield 2 - the real winner this year for iPhone.
“Scratchgate” might be unjustly taking the headlines for Apple’s new lineup of phones, but what isn’t getting the praise it deserves is Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2. For years we have seen phones being tested, and they have always had the same scientific scratch results per Jerryrigeverything:
Scratches at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level 7.
Zack’s famous quote (referring to Mohs Scale of hardness) is recognized by millions of phone nerds and saboteurs of technology, but that ended with the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and iPhone Air. This is a big deal because even though coins and keys couldn’t scratch your screen, any other grit in your pocket would easily scratch your screen. I’m talking about fine sand particles that comes from day to day living and end up in your pocket.
Sand particles have a high quartz content, which is a level 7.
Even though I am a bit OCD about cleaning my dedicated phone pants pocket, my screens still got scratched each year. Nothing huge, but still annoying. And no, I’m not throwing a screen protector on just to destroy the beautiful flow between the body and screen. Now with Ceramic Shield 2, I can lower my OCD levels just a tad knowing that even quartz will be less likely to gash my screen.
Apple’s investment with Corning is a huge win for the economy and for iPhone purists who hate the idea of a screen protector. Remember, this is the first time ever that a mainstream smartphone display has this level of resistance to scratches.
Makes me wonder how durable that new display is on Apple Watch Series 11.
“Scratchgate” might be unjustly taking the headlines for Apple’s new lineup of phones, but what isn’t getting the praise it deserves is Apple’s Ceramic Shield 2. For years we have seen phones being tested, and they have always had the same scientific scratch results per Jerryrigeverything:
Scratches at a level 6, with deeper grooves at a level 7.
Zack’s famous quote (referring to Mohs Scale of hardness) is recognized by millions of phone nerds and saboteurs of technology, but that ended with the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and iPhone Air. This is a big deal because even though coins and keys couldn’t scratch your screen, any other grit in your pocket would easily scratch your screen. I’m talking about fine sand particles that comes from day to day living and end up in your pocket.
Sand particles have a high quartz content, which is a level 7.
Even though I am a bit OCD about cleaning my dedicated phone pants pocket, my screens still got scratched each year. Nothing huge, but still annoying. And no, I’m not throwing a screen protector on just to destroy the beautiful flow between the body and screen. Now with Ceramic Shield 2, I can lower my OCD levels just a tad knowing that even quartz will be less likely to gash my screen.
Apple’s investment with Corning is a huge win for the economy and for iPhone purists who hate the idea of a screen protector. Remember, this is the first time ever that a mainstream smartphone display has this level of resistance to scratches.
Makes me wonder how durable that new display is on Apple Watch Series 11.
You can use a single AirPod Pro 3 earbud for heart rate and fitness monitoring.
I started a workout in the Fitness app with both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3 in place. The app tells you that it is “starting on Apple Watch,” but when the workout is active, you get a nice little graphic in the bottom right that shows you what Bluetooth devices are being used. I was wearing both the watch and AirPods, and immediately the little health icon picked up both devices for tracking my heart rate. I then tried disconnecting one device at a time, and the icon immediately updated to let me know what device is being used to track heart rate, calories burned, etc.
I followed a sequence of events that confirms one AirPod is enough to get a heart rate reading: 📓
I started a workout in the Fitness app with both an Apple Watch and AirPods Pro 3 in place. The app tells you that it is “starting on Apple Watch,” but when the workout is active, you get a nice little graphic in the bottom right that shows you what Bluetooth devices are being used. I was wearing both the watch and AirPods, and immediately the little health icon picked up both devices for tracking my heart rate. I then tried disconnecting one device at a time, and the icon immediately updated to let me know what device is being used to track heart rate, calories burned, etc.
I followed a sequence of events that confirms one AirPod is enough to get a heart rate reading:
1. Both AirPods and Apple Watch are on. I removed one earbud, and metrics were still being read by both devices, signified by the little “2” icon.
2. I removed both earbuds, and the icon switched to the Apple Watch.
3. I placed one AirPod in my ear, and it switched back to two devices.
4. I removed my Apple Watch, and the sole AirPod was being used to track my workout.
AirPods Pro 3 is a huge win for those who can’t wear an Apple Watch for whatever reason (health reasons, work reasons, tattoos, etc). You can track multiple workout types, and 99% of people will find a workout that is compatible with AirPods Pro 3.
And all you need is a single earbud if that’s your style.
Apple releases Hypertension (high blood pressure) Notifications Validation Paper.
I was waiting for this paper.
I didn’t see it on Apple’s Health website before and didn’t get search results for it when searching online, but it’s there now.
Apple’s main endpoints for this study:
The validation study assessed the following coprimary safety and effectiveness endpoints:
• Notification sensitivity for participants with a Stage 1 or Stage 2 reference hypertension (HTN) category
• Notification specificity for participants with a Normal or Elevated reference HTN category
In more simple terms, for Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension, Apple was focusing on making sure a notification was given when a person actually has hypertension (true positive). For people with Normal or Elevated readings that don’t classify as hypertension, Apple was focused on making sure these people did not get a notification of hypertension (true negative).
Apple’s conclusions - If you have Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, you are 41.2% likely to get a notification with a correct diagnosis (true positive). That number is close to 54% if you have Stage 2 hypertension. Generally speaking, the worse your hypertension, the more likely you’ll be notified.
On the flip side, if you have Normal or Elevated blood pressure that’s not classified as hypertension, you are 92.3% likely not to get notified (true negative). That number jumps to 95.3% if you just factor in Normal blood pressure. The more normal your blood pressure, the less likely you’ll be falsely notified.
The basic takeaway: if your Apple Watch tells you your blood pressure might be high, it probably is high and you should follow up with your doctor. If you don’t get any notifications, that doesn’t mean you don’t have high blood pressure because about half the time, Apple Watch doesn’t have enough data to confidently say you do have high blood pressure.
I’m hoping in the future, now that AirPods Pro 3 also have heart rate sensors, we can get more accurate data and higher sensitivity from more measurement sites that makes these tools even more useful as health-aids.
Right now the Apple Watch is nowhere near the greatest tool for detecting high blood pressure, but it sure as hell is a nice backup to have, right on your wrist.
More details in the paper.
I was waiting for this paper.
I didn’t see it on Apple’s Health website before and didn’t get search results for it when searching online, but it’s there now. The google search dates the validation paper with an August 12, 2025 date.
Apple’s main endpoints for this study:
The validation study assessed the following coprimary safety and effectiveness endpoints:
• Notification sensitivity for participants with a Stage 1 or Stage 2 reference hypertension (HTN) category
• Notification specificity for participants with a Normal or Elevated reference HTN category
In more simple terms, for Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension, Apple was focusing on making sure a notification was given when a person actually has hypertension (true positive). For people with Normal or Elevated readings that don’t classify as hypertension, Apple was focused on making sure these people did not get a notification of hypertension (true negative).
Apple’s conclusions - If you have Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, you are 41.2% likely to get a notification with a correct diagnosis (true positive). That number is close to 54% if you have Stage 2 hypertension. Generally speaking, the worse your hypertension, the more likely you’ll be notified.
On the flip side, if you have Normal or Elevated blood pressure that’s not classified as hypertension, you are 92.3% likely not to get notified (true negative). That number jumps to 95.3% if you just factor in Normal blood pressure. The more normal your blood pressure, the less likely you’ll be falsely notified.
The basic takeaway: if your Apple Watch tells you your blood pressure might be high, it probably is high and you should follow up with your doctor. If you don’t get any notifications, that doesn’t mean you don’t have high blood pressure because about half the time, Apple Watch doesn’t have enough data to confidently say you do have high blood pressure.
I’m hoping in the future, now that AirPods Pro 3 also have heart rate sensors, we can get more accurate data and higher sensitivity from more measurement sites that makes these tools even more useful as health-aids.
Right now the Apple Watch is nowhere near the greatest tool for detecting high blood pressure, but it sure as hell is a nice backup to have, right on your wrist.
More details in the paper.
More details about the intimate relationship between the iPhone Air battery and its dedicated external battery pack.
Yours truly a few days ago:
If Apple made a single battery pack for all new iPhones, it would be a more generic experience across the board since the iPhone 17 lineup still uses a 3rd party Qualcomm modem. The Battery Pack wouldn’t meet Apple’s standards of true optimization. It would still be better than a generic 3rd party battery pack that just destroys battery health, but this unique, intimate relationship with the MagSafe Battery and the iPhone Air makes it outlast the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 40 hours of video playback vs 39 hours, making the combo the best battery life of any iPhone to date.
Now we have confirmation from iFixit that the MagSafe Battery is the same as the iPhone Air’s battery:
And in a fun twist, we’ve confirmed that it’s the exact same cell found in Apple’s MagSafe battery pack. You can swap between them and the phone still boots up just fine. Like a rear-mounted spare tire on an SUV, an iPhone Air with a MagSafe battery pack is ready for an on-the-go swap, if you will. Granted it’ll take a bit more than a tire iron to make it happen.
The intimate relationship is deeper than I thought. The MagSafe Battery for iPhone Air is like getting a kidney transplant from your twin versus a complete stranger.
Yours truly a few days ago:
If Apple made a single battery pack for all new iPhones, it would be a more generic experience across the board since the iPhone 17 lineup still uses a 3rd party Qualcomm modem. The Battery Pack wouldn’t meet Apple’s standards of true optimization. It would still be better than a generic 3rd party battery pack that just destroys battery health, but this unique, intimate relationship with the MagSafe Battery and the iPhone Air makes it outlast the iPhone 17 Pro Max at 40 hours of video playback vs 39 hours, making the combo the best battery life of any iPhone to date.
Now we have confirmation from iFixit that the MagSafe Battery is the same as the iPhone Air’s battery:
And in a fun twist, we’ve confirmed that it’s the exact same cell found in Apple’s MagSafe battery pack. You can swap between them and the phone still boots up just fine. Like a rear-mounted spare tire on an SUV, an iPhone Air with a MagSafe battery pack is ready for an on-the-go swap, if you will. Granted it’ll take a bit more than a tire iron to make it happen.
The intimate relationship is deeper than I thought. The MagSafe Battery for iPhone Air is like getting a kidney transplant from your twin versus a complete stranger.
How to tell apart AirPods Pro 3 from previous generations of AirPods Pro.
AirPods Pro 3 are pretty distinct from AirPods Pro 1 and 2, and the best part is you can’t fit AirPods Pro 3 buds into any other case by accident. AirPods Pro 1 and 2 can fit in each other’s cases, so you do have to be careful with previous versions.
In any case, here are some comparison shots showing you the differences between each version of AirPods Pro. You never know when you might find yourself playing a random game of “match the random AirPods with its case.” 📓
AirPods Pro 3 are pretty distinct from AirPods Pro 1 and 2, and the best part is you can’t fit AirPods Pro 3 buds into any other case by accident. AirPods Pro 1 and 2 can fit in each other’s cases, so you do have to be careful with previous versions.
In any case, here are some comparison shots showing you the differences between each version of AirPods Pro. You never know when you might find yourself playing a random game of “match the random AirPods with its case.”
Left to right - AirPods Pro, Pro 2, and Pro 3.
AirPods Pro 3 (right) don’t have an LED cutout, but it’s hidden behind the case and shows through when needed.
Bottom of casing is similar to AirPods Pro 2.
The pairing button on AirPods Pro 3 has been removed and is now a double tap on the front of the case. The LED will flash white indicating its ready to be paired with a new device.
Top view - the black pill-shaped vents and sensors conveniently go from 1 to 3 as you go from AirPods Pro 1 to AirPods Pro 3.
The inner ear sensor decreases with each new generation.
You can see the new heart sensor right next to the ear tips on AirPods Pro 3.
Make your unboxing experience a memorable one, for practical reasons.
If you are blessed and privileged like myself to be getting a new iPhone in a few hours or days, do yourself a favor and record your unboxing. Start with the outer, delivery provider packaging before unboxing the actual device.
You never know because you might end up with an empty box that looks brand new and sealed.
I had one incident where I was supposed to get an Apple Watch Ultra 2 only to receive an empty box, and in another instance I ordered an iPhone SE that had tampered outer packaging.
It’s not about cinematics, it’s about proof of delivery.
If you are blessed and privileged like myself to be getting a new iPhone in a few hours or days, do yourself a favor and record your unboxing. Start with the outer, delivery provider packaging before unboxing the actual device.
You never know because you might end up with an empty box that looks brand new and sealed.
I had one incident where I was supposed to get an Apple Watch Ultra 2 only to receive an empty box, and in another instance I ordered an iPhone SE that had tampered outer packaging.
It’s not about cinematics, it’s about proof of delivery.