Apple2026-09-18 07:28:31iPhone 18 Pro launch draws muted crowds as some buyers wait for DuoApple’s iPhone 18 Pro went on sale on Sept. 18, but an on-the-ground visit by ABMedia to a department store launch site found none of the long overnight lines often associated with a new iPhone release. Arriving at 6 a.m., the reporter was 14th in line, and the atmosphere was described as calmer than expected. The report said that with Apple’s foldable Duo still waiting to launch, this year’s upgrade demand may be split across different timelines. In Taiwan, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at NT$44,900 and is being marketed around battery life, a 2nm A20 Pro chip, and a main camera with a physical variable aperture. Apple’s EU product data lists the A3714 model at 4,056mAh, up about 25.7% from the iPhone 13’s 3,227mAh and about 1.7% from the iPhone 17 Pro’s 3,988mAh. Apple Taiwan also lists video playback at up to 34 hours, compared with 19 hours for the iPhone 13 and 31 hours for the 17 Pro. The report also focused on upgrade economics. Under Apple Trade In estimates, an iPhone 13 can fetch up to NT$6,300, leaving a buyer to pay NT$38,600 for an entry iPhone 18 Pro if the highest quoted value is applied. ABMedia noted that department store channel promotions, credit card rewards, installment offers, and anniversary sale incentives can materially affect the final cost.500
Apple2026-09-13 23:40:56iPhone 18 Pro hands-on points to manual variable aperture, stronger low-light performanceA new hands-on review cited by ABMedia says Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max add a manual variable aperture system, giving users direct control from f/1.48 to f/4.0. According to tech creator The Tech Chap’s latest test video, the change improves low-light image capture and produces a more refined shallow depth-of-field effect. At the wide f/1.48 setting, light intake is said to increase by as much as 50% versus the previous fixed-aperture design, while f/4.0 is positioned for brighter scenes that need a wider depth of field and better overall sharpness. The report also highlights Apple’s 2 nm A20 Pro chip, a new C2 communications chip, and a vapor chamber cooling structure that is three times larger than the previous generation. ABMedia says the hardware is tuned for high-performance computing, pro video editing, and Apple Intelligence neural network workloads, while the smaller iPhone 18 Pro is rated at battery life comparable to the prior iPhone 17 Pro Max. On the software side, Dynamic Island is said to shrink by 25% and support three simultaneous Live Activities. Pricing is also moving higher: the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, up $100. The report says the upgrade case looks limited for iPhone 17 Pro users, but more compelling for people still using an iPhone 14 or older model.870
Apple2026-09-11 06:31:09JPMorgan says Apple’s iPhone price hike may land softly as financing keeps monthly costs in checkJPMorgan said Apple’s 2026 fall launch largely matched expectations, but the bigger story was how the company structured pricing rather than the headline increase alone. The bank noted that iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max each rose by $100 at entry level, while steeper increases were concentrated in 1TB and 2TB models, a move that could lift blended average selling prices by more than $100. It also pointed to Apple’s tools for limiting consumer sticker shock: the Apple Upgrade program backed by Klarna, carrier subsidies of up to $1,200 from AT&T and T-Mobile for iPhone 14 and newer devices, and official trade-in credits of up to $885. In JPMorgan’s view, those options could leave monthly out-of-pocket spending for upgraders roughly unchanged from last year. The bank also highlighted Apple’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo, which starts at $1,999, just $100 above Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold8, as well as new AI-focused features on Apple Watch and lower AirPods pricing. JPMorgan kept its Overweight rating on Apple and said early pre-order data and supply-chain orders are likely to be the next key signals for the stock.420
Apple2026-09-11 01:46:12Apple unveils iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro lineup, while the standard iPhone 18 may slip to Q1Apple’s Sept. 10 product event introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and the company’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, while the regular iPhone 18 did not appear on stage and may arrive in the first quarter of next year, according to the source article. Pre-orders for the Pro models are scheduled to open at 8 p.m. on Sept. 12, with retail availability on Sept. 18. The iPhone Duo is set for pre-orders on Oct. 16 and launch on Oct. 23. The source frames the Duo as a device aimed mainly at entertainment and mobile productivity. It carries a 5.4-inch outer display, a 7.6-inch inner screen, support for Apple Pencil (USB-C) later this year, and prices ranging from 15,999 yuan to 26,499 yuan, though the article points to compromises in telephoto imaging and unlocking convenience. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are described as more conventional upgrades centered on the A20 Pro chip and a variable-aperture main camera, with starting prices of 9,999 yuan and 10,999 yuan. For buyers with tighter budgets, the source argues that the delayed standard iPhone 18 may still be the most practical option to wait for, citing reported memory upgrades, a potentially smaller Dynamic Island and expected pricing closer to the current iPhone 17 range.960
Goldman Sachs2026-09-10 08:33:00Goldman Sachs says Apple raised iPhone 18 Pro prices by $100, with carrier subsidies offsetting the increaseGoldman Sachs said in a Sept. 9 research note, cited by Chaoxiang Research and reported by TechFlow, that Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, and AirPods 5. The note said the iPhone Duo starts at $1,999, while the starting prices of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max were each lifted by $100 to $1,199 and $1,299. Goldman Sachs also said AT&T and T-Mobile are offering trade-in subsidies of up to $1,200, which could reduce the effective out-of-pocket cost of an iPhone 18 Pro to zero under eligible plans. The bank said a more premium product mix could support higher iPhone average selling prices and partly offset cost pressure. It kept a Buy rating on Apple with a $360 price target based on 37x forward earnings, while listing weaker consumer demand, supply-chain disruptions, tougher competition, and regulatory pressure as key risks.820
Apple2026-09-10 01:47:32Apple unveils iPhone Duo; entry model priced at about 0.025 BTC at current ratesApple introduced its first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro lineup at its fall product event, according to Odaily. Based on the current Bitcoin price, the lower-spec version of the iPhone Duo would cost about 0.025 BTC. Odaily also listed a year-by-year comparison of iPhone launch prices converted into Bitcoin using BTC’s price at the time each model was released. The comparison shows a wide range across product generations, from 162 BTC for the iPhone 4s to 53 BTC for the iPhone 5 and 5 BTC for the iPhone 5s. Later models were listed at 1.7 BTC for the iPhone 6, 2.8 BTC for the iPhone 6s, 1.1 BTC for the iPhone 7, and 0.19 BTC for the iPhone 8. The list continues with 0.14 BTC for the iPhone X, 0.15 BTC for the iPhone XS, 0.068 BTC for the iPhone 11, 0.051 BTC for the iPhone 12, 0.018 BTC for the iPhone 13, 0.042 BTC for the iPhone 14, 0.031 BTC for the iPhone 15, 0.014 BTC for the iPhone 16, 0.007 BTC for the iPhone 17, and 0.015 BTC for the iPhone 18 Pro.780
Apple2026-09-10 00:16:11Apple unveils A20 Pro and C2 modem, bringing its first 2 nm iPhone chip and a new WMCM packageApple introduced the A20 Pro, a new flagship smartphone system-on-chip, at its latest iPhone launch event, alongside a custom C2 cellular modem. The event was also the first led by new CEO John Ternus. Apple said A20 Pro is the first 2 nm chip ever used in an iPhone, following the earlier debut of the 2 nm M6 chip in August. The A20 Pro will power the foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, according to the company. Apple said the chip carries a 6-core CPU with two high-performance “super cores” that are 20% faster than the prior generation, four efficiency cores with neural acceleration, a 7-core GPU with 40% higher performance, and dual 16-core neural engines for a total of 32 cores. The company also said AI processing is 2x that of the A19 Pro and memory bandwidth is up 50%. A major hardware change is the move from InFO_PoP to WMCM, or Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module, which places DRAM beside the SoC rather than stacking it on top. Apple said the new package, added thermal materials and a vapor chamber three times larger than the previous generation lifted sustained performance by 40% versus the prior model. The company also said the C2 modem adds U.S. millimeter-wave support, improves upload speeds over C1X and cuts power use by 15%.940
Apple2026-09-09 19:09:24iPhone 18 Pro debuts variable aperture camera, starts at NT$44,900 in TaiwanApple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on Sept. 9 U.S. West Coast time, with Taiwan pricing starting at NT$44,900 and NT$49,900, respectively. Pre-orders in Taiwan open at 8 p.m. on Sept. 12, with retail sales beginning Sept. 18. This generation includes only two Pro models and no standard iPhone 18. The headline hardware change is the main camera. Apple introduced a variable aperture system on the iPhone’s primary lens for the first time, allowing the 48MP Fusion camera to switch across four aperture settings: ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0. Apple said the mechanism uses six laser-cut blades made from a custom polymer composite, paired with a new rotor and custom optics. The company said light intake rises by about 50% in low-light use when the lens opens wider. Apple also added Apple Reference Image, a feature that signs image data pixel by pixel and creates a tamper-resistant reference image through Private Cloud Compute. Other updates include the 2-nanometer A20 Pro chip, a new C2 modem, redesigned thermal architecture, battery gains, smaller Dynamic Island, and support details for iOS 27 and Apple Intelligence, including language availability and daily usage limits on server-based AI features.970
