Pre-orders for the caller iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max started this Saturday. And since this is Apple we are talking about, determination are nary pre-order goodies – the opposite, actually, since Apple raised the iPhone 16, 17 and Air prices by $100. But we won’t beryllium looking astatine the vanilla models contiguous since the vanilla iPhone 18 isn’t expected until adjacent year.
So, present are the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. They diagnostic Apple’s archetypal 2nm chip, the A20 Pro, which runs astatine adjacent to 5GHz (it peaks astatine 4.93GHz) and posted massive Geekbench scores. Additionally, the caller models committedness longer artillery life, particularly the Pro Max. And they person a adaptable aperture for the 48MP 1/1.28” main camera (f/1.5-f/4.0).
By the way, if you privation to prime up a bearer woody alternatively of getting an unlocked iPhone 18 Pro (Max), cheque retired the offers from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon here.
You tin prevention rather a spot of wealth by getting a Galaxy S26 alternatively of an iPhone 18 Pro. Both person 6.3” displays (and some are 120Hz LTPO panels astatine that), but Samsung’s 10MP 3x/67mm telephoto and 12MP ultra-wide cameras are nary lucifer for Apple’s Pro setup, which includes a 48MP 4x/100mm telephoto and a 48MP ultra-wide. Samsung inactive doesn’t bash magnetic charging either.
Looking astatine the 6.9” offerings, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is besides a batch cheaper than the iPhone 18 Pro Max (in fact, it’s cheaper than the tiny Pro too). The Ultra is simply a batch much competitory erstwhile it comes to cameras – it has a 200MP 1/1.3” main, a 10MP 3x/67mm telephoto positive an further 50MP 5x/111mm telephoto module and a 50MP ultra-wide. The S26 Ultra besides offers unsocial features similar the Privacy Display and the S Pen.
Google besides has a 6.3” model, the Pixel 11 Pro. However, it’s beauteous airy connected discounts astatine the moment. The Tensor G6 mostly fixed the artillery ratio woes of the G5, but show is inactive obscurity adjacent to the Apple A20 Pro oregon the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. The Pixel does person a much promising acceptable of cameras than the tiny S26, including a 50MP 1/1.3” main, a 48MP 5x/106mm telephoto and a 48MP ultra-wide. And would you look astatine that – it has Pixelsnap magnetic wireless charging.
Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL has a 6.8” surface and the aforesaid acceptable of cameras arsenic its smaller sibling.
Given Apple’s prices, you tin adjacent see a foldable alternatively of an iPhone 18 Pro. The Galaxy Z Flip8 costs the aforesaid arsenic the S26 Ultra and portion it doesn’t person its cameras (it lone has a 50MP 1/1.57” main and a 12MP ultra-wide), it does person a 6.9” interior and a 4.1” screen display. This 1 is besides powered by the Samsung-customized Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (at slightest successful the US market).
Speaking of foldables, the iPhone Duo is Apple’s archetypal – Cupertino chose to participate this marketplace with a wide foldable. It’s not disposable yet, though. Pre-orders volition commencement successful mid-October and income volition commence a week later. We person immoderate thoughts connected the iPhone 18 Pro (Max) vs. iPhone Duo debate that you tin peruse portion you wait.
Since determination aren’t galore wide foldable alternatives successful the US, the Duo’s main rival is the Galaxy Z Fold8. The Samsung telephone is thinner (9.7mm vs. 11.3mm) and overmuch lighter (201g vs. 254g). The 7.6” interior displays connected some are astir identical successful size and facet ratio, but Samsung has had respective years to optimize One UI for foldable use. Meanwhile, this is the archetypal clip iOS tries to modulation apps from a screen to a larger interior display. However, Apple offers stylus enactment and uses an under-display camera, which are features that Samsung abandoned past year.
The 2 foldables person comparable cameras with a 48MP main camera with sensor displacement OIS for the iPhone Duo and a 50MP camera with lens displacement OIS for the Z Fold8. They are joined by a 48MP and a 50MP 120° ultra-wide cameras, respectively. Check retired a much elaborate comparison betwixt the iPhone Duo and Galaxy Z Fold8 here.
Of course, Samsung besides has a larger book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. Despite having a larger 8” interior show (nearly 1:1 facet ratio) and a larger 6.5” screen show (with a gangly and skinny facet ratio), the Ultra is inactive a batch lighter than the iPhone Duo (215g vs. 254g). It’s thinner excessively – successful fact, astatine 8.9mm, the Z Fold8 Ultra is lone 0.1mm thicker than the iPhone 18 Pro Max (which weighs 249g, by the way).
This 1 has a 200MP 1/1.3” main camera positive a dedicated 10MP 3x/67mm telephoto lens, which is missing from some the Z Fold8 and the Duo. There’s a 50MP ultra-wide camera too. The cameras are not arsenic bully arsenic the S26 Ultra, but they are amended than the Z Fold8 cameras.
Google besides makes a ample foldable, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The ample 8” interior show is built for multitasking and it enjoys respective years of Google moving connected UI enhancements for foldables. But arsenic we mentioned above, the Tensor G6 is nary lucifer for the Apple and Samsung chipsets.
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold doesn’t person the aforesaid cameras arsenic the different 2 11 Pro models. There’s a 48MP 1/1.56” main, a 10.8MP 5x/112mm telephoto and a 10.5MP 127° ultra-wide. At slightest it gets to support the magnetic wireless charging.
Alongside the caller phones, Apple besides refreshed its wearables lineup. The Apple Watch Series 12 has upgraded optical and electrical bosom complaint sensors. It besides offers respective AI-powered audio features – it tin observe important sounds for radical with proceeding issues, it tin summarize conversations and it volition retrieve that opus you heard fractional an hr ago.
The Apple Watch Ultra 4 focused connected improving artillery life. Apple is mum connected mAh numbers, but the caller exemplary should past up to 50 hours of mean usage (that’s 8 hours longer than the Ultra 3). If you enactment it successful Low Power Mode, it should past up to 84 hours (+12 hours compared to the aged model).
Despite Apple having a estimation for making costly products, the caller AirPods 5 are cheaper, portion besides improving things similar sound cancellation, transparency mode, spatial audio and Adaptive EQ. Note that determination are 2 versions – 1 with USB-C charging and a $20 upgrade that adds wireless charging to the case.
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