Not upgrading to iPhone 18 Pro or Duo? Here’s what’s coming next year

9to5mac.com Oct 19, 2026

Not upgrading to iPhone 18 Pro or Duo? Here’s what’s coming next year

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Oct 19, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

iPhone Duo pre‑orders have opened, while the iPhone 18 Pro has been on sale for a month and is back‑ordered through January. Apple’s 2027 roadmap promises a busy year: a spring launch of a base iPhone 18 model, likely a modest upgrade with more RAM, a new C2 modem, and the A20 chip at a starting price of $899, followed by the iPhone 18e sharing components with the flagship. In the fall, Apple will mark the iPhone’s 20th anniversary with a fully redesigned “iPhone 20” featuring slimmer bezels, a glass‑back, a smaller Dynamic Island or hole‑punch selfie camera, under‑display Face ID, and the next‑gen A21 Pro chip. A successor to the iPhone Duo is also slated for release later that year.

💡 Why It Matters

· The anniversary redesign could reset consumer expectations for iPhone aesthetics and hardware integration, while the spring base model ensures Apple retains market momentum between flagship cycles.

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Here’s how iPhone Duo’s battery capacity compares to other iPhones

Apple’s regulatory filing for the iPhone Duo disclosed a combined battery capacity of 4,883 mAh, split between a 2,962 mAh primary cell and a 1,921 mAh secondary cell. This places the Duo squarely between the iPhone 18 Pro’s 4,288 mAh battery and the iPhone 18 Pro Max’s 5,567 mAh unit, making it one of the largest capacities in the current lineup, surpassed only by the two newest Pro Max models. The Duo’s dual‑cell design also means a physically larger battery pack, though heavy use of its larger internal display may reduce real‑world endurance. Compared with recent eSIM‑only iPhones, which generally have larger cells than their physical‑SIM counterparts, the Duo ranks near the top in raw capacity.

💡 The Duo’s high‑capacity battery could extend usage for power‑hungry multitasking, giving consumers a tangible advantage in an increasingly mobile‑first ecosystem.

9to5mac.com · Oct 18

Apple Watch Series 12 is excellent, but I find myself missing this…

The Apple Watch Series 12 impressed reviewers as a solid replacement for WHOOP fitness trackers, offering an always‑on heart‑rate sensor and a redesigned Health app. The new app, previewed briefly in iOS 27.2, introduced features such as Readiness, Health Age, integrated Vitals and Sleep data, and a cleaner interface. Apple removed the beta after a short run, promising a return in a later iOS beta—likely 27.3—before a full release by year‑end. The author praises the app’s usability but misses WHOOP’s sleep‑based day tracking, which aligns activity logs with the user’s actual rest cycle rather than a fixed 24‑hour clock. He suggests Apple adopt this approach to improve fitness goal accuracy. Adopting sleep‑aligned days could refine calorie estimates and recovery metrics for athletes.

💡 Sleep‑based day tracking aligns performance data with real‑world recovery cycles, giving users more actionable insights.

9to5mac.com · Oct 18

Apple keeps making the Phone app better; here’s how

Apple is expanding the functionality of its iPhone Phone app with two features already available in iOS 26 and a third slated for iOS 27. Hold Assist, introduced last year, automatically detects when a call is placed on hold and notifies the user when the other party returns, reducing idle waiting time. Call Screening, also part of iOS 26, intercepts calls from unsaved numbers, prompts callers to identify themselves, and displays their message on the lock screen, giving users a choice to answer or send to voicemail. The upcoming Call Context feature, powered by Apple Intelligence and limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later, will surface relevant data—such as airline confirmation codes or order numbers—from the user’s Mail and other apps while the call is in progress. iOS 27, currently in beta, is expected to launch in September.

💡 By turning routine calls into context‑aware interactions, Apple is leveraging AI to cut down the friction of customer‑service calls and curb spam, reshaping how users manage everyday communications.

appleinsider.com · Oct 18

Sunday Reboot: HomeView is an interesting smart home experiment

Apple unveiled HomeView, a dedicated smart‑home hub with a large touchscreen, at its recent smart‑home event. The device resembles a HomePod with a display, but runs a limited, home‑automation‑only OS that excludes an App Store and mainstream streaming apps. Priced at $299 for both the tabletop and wall‑mounted versions, it lacks the optional speaker base and adds extra cost for mounting hardware. HomeView integrates with Apple’s Home app, supports doorbell video, FaceTime calls, and music playback, but cannot run third‑party apps like Netflix. Reviewers note that existing iPads or Apple TVs already fulfill many of its functions, and its utility may vary by household size and regional market, with smaller homes like those in the UK potentially finding it less useful.

💡 HomeView marks Apple’s first foray into a purpose‑built smart‑home control panel, testing whether a tightly curated ecosystem can compete with the open, app‑rich platforms of Google and Amazon.

9to5mac.com · Oct 18

Apple’s next HomeView could debut as soon as next year with a…

Apple unveiled its long‑awaited HomeView smart‑home display, priced at $299, after delays tied to a smarter Siri. Early users note the need to manually reposition the 7‑inch unit when multiple people are around. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple is developing a higher‑end HomeView Pro, codenamed J595, slated for release in 2027‑2028. The Pro will feature a 9‑inch screen and a motorized arm that rotates the display 360 degrees, using voice recognition to turn toward the speaker. Apple hopes the swivel capability will address the positioning issue and position the device as a “Kitchen Siri” for hands‑free commands. Analysts see the robotic arm as a benchmark for devices.

💡 A 360° rotating screen could redefine how households interact with voice assistants, turning static displays into dynamic, user‑oriented hubs.

appleinsider.com · Oct 18

HomeView follow-up with robot arm rumored to ship in 2027

Apple is reportedly developing a new version of its HomeView smart speaker that will feature a 9‑inch display and a motorized arm capable of rotating 360 degrees and automatically facing the user through voice recognition. The prototype, identified by the internal codename J595, is expected to launch in 2027 or 2028 and may be marketed under a variant name such as HomeView Max or Ultra rather than as a direct successor. The arm would allow the device to track and respond to occupants, turning the static speaker into a more interactive companion. The concept builds on earlier rumors linking Apple’s abandoned car project to home robotics, and follows a 2025 demonstration of a robot‑lamp using Apple’s ELEGNT movement system today.

💡 By turning a speaker into a mobile, gesture‑aware companion, Apple could redefine how households interact with ambient AI, setting a new benchmark for consumer robotics.