I recently wrote about how the iPhone 13 is a great phone to buy if you can’t afford an iPhone 15, and I stand by that. I still feel we’re missing a solid budget phone option from Apple. 

Sure, we have the 2022 iPhone SE, but it was a tad underwhelming. It has a design that’s positively ancient in phone terms, a 60Hz display, a single rear camera, and lacks a vast array of features. Compare the iPhone SE to some of the best cheap phones from Google, Samsung and OnePlus, and it looks almost like Apple is chancing its hand at pushing old leftover tech that’s had a simple reheat in a microwave oven before being punted out to consumers. 

The problem here is that unless you go down the pre-owned route, there’s no other option for a budget iPhone. 

The rumors so far hint at an iPhone SE 4 being on the horizon, and they seem to promise a fresher design that borrows from the likes of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15. That’s good news, as both phones have a pleasing look and an aesthetic language that harks back to the Jony Ive era of Apple’s industrial design. 

However, when it comes to a release window things are unclear – we don’t know whether to expect an iPhone SE this year or in 2025. For what it’s worth I hope Apple comes up with a new SE this year. 

Cheaper, cheerful

We’re living in a time when the cost of living has skyrocketed and smartphones show no signs of being cheaper. At the same time, phones don't offer great bang for the buck like they once did, especially if you’re stuck in the Apple ecosystem.

As an iPhone 15 Pro Max user, I’m a big advocate for Apple’s Pro iPhones, with the current models offering a suite of upgrades over the predecessors that place them among the best phones overall. But you need a healthy chunk of change to be able to buy them; even on a carrier contract, Apple’s flagship phones are hardly cheap.

The more affordable iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are both very good phones, but for their respective prices – with a 60Hz display and cameras that, while impressive, aren’t pushing the envelope – the phones aren’t inspiring. Comparatively, around the same money will get you a Samsung Galaxy S24 with its trio of rear cameras, 120Hz display, and a whole host of generative AI features.

Going by the iPhone 16 rumors so far – and admittedly, it’s early days on that front – Apple’s next-generation smartphones won’t be a huge evolution over their predecessors. One can expect a boost in performance, which is almost moot as the past few generations of iPhones have more than enough power. 

We can also expect a dose of generative AI features for at least the iPhone 16 Pro models. Otherwise, I doubt there’ll be much to separate the next-gen iPhones from today’s models. Nor do I expect the prices to drop, either.

With that in mind, I want a new budget iPhone that offers a modern design and features would be very much welcome, as we likely wait for the iPhone 17 to bring in truly novel upgrades.

Some say Apple fans will swallow whatever’s presented to them. That may have been true in the past, especially when phones could jump a decent amount each generation in terms of performance, cameras and features. 

Today, consumers are more tech-savvy and the best Android phones are so well-equipped that one doesn't need to remain stuck in Apple’s ecosystem. As such, high prices and a ‘meh’ budget option could drive people to the Android camp.

Of course, Apple phones still sell like crazy, with various data showing how the iPhone 15 models have sold better than their predecessors. So it’s not like Apple’s fortunes are going to suddenly wane.

But I feel there's an opportunity in the budget phone arena that Apple could tap. A capable but affordable iPhone could see more people sign up to services like Apple Arcade, Apple Music Plus and Apple News Plus, potentially putting the money saved on phone hardware into Apple’s growing services suite.

Apple is also a mover and a shaker when it comes to phone tech, so it could help shake-up the status quo with affordable phones and help set a standard for others to follow (though the Google Pixel a-series do that well) or inject some refreshed non-Android competition into the market.

Perhaps this is all wishful thinking on my part, as Apple tends to do what Apple wants and to hell with the general consumers. But I’m still going to cross my metaphorical fingers for a new iPhone SE this year that embraces Apple’s latest design language and doesn't skimp on features. If that doesn't happen, then I’ll be looking for the rumored Google Pixel 8a to be the budget phone of 2024.

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iPhone 16 rumor season is now in full swing as we look forward to the flagship phones Apple is going to launch later in 2024, and the latest leak to get our attention points to the possibility of a new finish for the Pro and Pro Max models.

According to well-known tipster yeux1122 (via MacRumors), the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are set to get a more polished titanium finish this time around, replacing the brushed titanium finish on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

As you'll see from our iPhone 15 Pro review, the switch to a titanium frame improved the feel of the phone while reducing weight. All the previous iPhones had used a stainless steel frame around the edges, so it was quite a significant move from Apple.

We also mentioned it in our iPhone 15 Pro Max review, how the titanium edges improved the feel of the phone. Samsung then followed suit, switching to titanium for its most expensive 2024 flagship – see our Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review for details.

Cooler, stronger

Titanium also improves heat dissipation, meaning the components in the iPhone can run cooler. Take all of this into consideration and it's no wonder Apple is sticking with the material, and other phone makers are switching to it.

This source says the glossier look of the metal will make it seem more like the stainless steel finish that featured on earlier models – but the improved strength and scratch resistance of the titanium will still be there.

As well as a different style of finish, we might also be getting different colors this year: a recent rumor suggests there's a new Rose shade on the way for the Pro and Pro Max, while it sounds like the blue color from 2023 might be retired.

The fresh batch of iPhones should be with us in September, but before that we've got WWDC 2024 to look forward to: the Worldwide Developers Conference gets underway on June 10, and we should hear a lot of news about iOS 18 and Apple's other software.

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Twelve years on from its launch, Siri now feels like a modern-day Apple Newton. Both started life as bold new personal assistants, only to stagnate and fall by the wayside. And both have been the butt of jokes on big comedy shows – the Newton was famously skewered on The Simpsons, while Siri has more recently 'starred' in the latest season of Curb your Enthusiasm (warning: the scene in question contains a tirade of expletives).

Yet while the Newton was put out of its misery and canceled in 1998, Apple has kept Siri ticking over in our iPhones. Well, barely – anyone who's used Siri will have their own tale of frustration about its seemingly diminishing IQ. Apple can't let this continue. And fortunately, the evidence is mounting that we'll finally get a Siri reboot (or at least, a makeover) at WWDC 2024.

Apple is strongly hinting that AI and, to a lesser extent, Siri will be at the forefront of its annual developer's conference. Its SVP of Marketing Greg Joswiak posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the event will be "Absolutely Incredible", with the capitalization unsubtly spelling AI. Plus, the promo's typography (below) also has echoes of Siri's color scheme.

But a wave of credible rumors and Apple's own machine learning research also support the theory that Siri could soon become, if not great, then at least not an anachronistic embarrassment.

How exactly might Apple reboot Siri in June? It's a long road back. Every time I've spoken to ChatGPT's baked-in Voice function I've marveled at how natural it feels in comparison. The trouble is, ChatGPT doesn't have direct access to iOS for controlling my phone (unless you use Shortcuts). And Apple seemingly doesn't have the generative AI chops – or the willingness to compromise on privacy – to do proper cloud-based AI.

The solution is likely to be a compromise, combining Apple's latest on-device machine learning with third-party AI models like Google Gemini. That might result in a full Siri reinvention, but if it rescues the voice assistant from its current malaise, that'd be good enough for me...

A private chat

A Siri reboot isn't certain at WWDC 2024, with the latest rumors a little confusing. This week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple "isn't planning to debut its own generative AI chatbot" at WWDC 2024.

But that doesn't mean Apple isn't planning some Siri upgrades. Apple has never seen Siri as a chatbot like ChatGPT – since June 2021, the voice assistant has processed our questions on-device by default. "This addresses one of the biggest privacy concerns for voice assistants, which is unwanted audio recording" Apple said in a press release at the time.

Apple almost certainly won't have changed its mind since then. So the improvements to Siri's on-device performance will have to come from Apple – and there's evidence that the tech giant has been exploring this.

Last week, Apple researchers published a March 2024 paper that tested whether or not it's possible for voice assistants to ditch trigger words like 'Siri' and instead use on-device AI to tell whether you're speaking to your phone or someone else. This followed Apple's quiet publication of a family of multimodal models (AI models that can simultaneously interpret different types of data) called MM1.

For the voice assistant paper, Apple's researchers trained a large language model (LLM), based partly on OpenAI's GPT-2, to look for voice patterns that signify whether or not we're asking for help from our phone. That's pretty futuristic stuff. While the results were promising, it's likely too soon for this kind of tech to find its way into iOS 18 or our iPhones. 

Still, Apple is clearly working hard on voice assistant tech and we'll likely see some of the fruits of this at WWDC 2024. Only six months ago, Apple was rapidly increasing its spending on conversational AI to "millions of dollars per day", according to a report from The Information. Given the rapid advances of its rivals, some of this investment will surely go towards improving Siri.

New Siri announcements also haven't been completely extinct in recent months. In December 2023, Apple announced that its new S9 SiP (system in a package) meant the Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 could "now process Siri requests on device". This meant you could now ask Siri about over 20 health data markers, because your data wouldn't leave the smartwatch.

None of this is the work of a company that's given up on its voice assistant. The question is what Apple will do about the bigger part of the puzzle – answering queries that on-device Siri won't be able to answer...

I'm not sure I understand...

If Siri can't answer a question, you can ask it to search the web for you. This is where Apple might be looking to outsource to an external AI model to help with more challenging queries – with Bloomberg predicting that this could be Google Gemini in the US and Europe, with Apple also in talks with Baidu in China according to the Wall Street Journal.

Bloomberg's report says this generative AI "heavy lifting" could include functions like "creating images and writing essays based on simple prompts". But these AI features will be delivered via the cloud, with Apple still using its own AI models to process on-device functions and Siri actions.

This mooted Google Gemini deal wouldn't be unusual for Apple. The tech giant doesn't have its own search engine, so it's long had an agreement (reportedly worth $18 billion a year) with Google for it to be the default option on Safari. That deal is now under threat from EU regulators. 

Bloomberg says that a similar deal for Google's Gemini AI models would simply build on this existing partnership between Apple and Google – again, if regulators allow it. It could even be a convenient replacement for that current deal between the tech giants, if it doesn't crumble from the pressure of regulatory scrutiny.

Whatever happens with these talks, Apple seems unable to solve the whole generative AI puzzle on its own – and unwilling to shift its stance on privacy. That will likely mean some compromises for an upgraded Siri, rather than a giant leap.

Baby steps

The thing is, I'm not demanding (or expecting) a full Siri relaunch at WWDC 2024. All I want is for Apple to acknowledge Siri's existence, make it less cloth-eared, and lay out how it's going to make it a more conversational iPhone assistant. Right now, Siri is a brake on the potential of products like the AirPods and Apple Vision Pro, but it can start turning over a new leaf in iOS 18.

For years, Siri has been held back by internal squabbles, a lack of tech breakthroughs, and the wider problem that voice assistants don't generate much revenue. But if Apple does, as the rumors suggest, outsource some of its generative AI features to the likes of Gemini AI, then it could play catch-up while reducing its liability when the occasional controversy inevitably strikes.

None of this would rocket Siri towards being a voice assistant leader. But it'd be enough to keep Apple in the AI game, while reinvigorating one of the iPhone's most frustrating features. At this point, Siri is damaging Apple's reputation, so WWDC 2024 has to be a tipping point one way or the other.

Tim Cook has already promised during an earnings call with Apple's annual shareholders that the company will "break new ground" this year in generative AI. While that doesn't necessarily refer to Siri, could Apple do all of that while leaving Siri as it is? I don't think so. And while Cook said the technology will "unlock transformative opportunities for our users", I'm just hoping it'll turn Siri into more than just a cooking timer.

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I doubt you could go to a tech-centric show without someone babbling on about artificial intelligence. At MWC 2024, the likes of Qualcomm championed AI in phones, cars and more, while Samsung had its suite of Galaxy S24 phones present and correct to show off the Galaxy AI features they come with.  

Now AI has, arguably, been around for years in some form or another. Sure, we don’t have true general AI with human-level smarts or cognitive clout. But machine learning algorithms have been serving up musings and streaming recommendations, translating text, and figuring out what’s in photos for some time. Yet, 2023 saw the rise of generative AI, whereby smart software can produce things from instructions and inference rather than simply working off what it already has. 

For all sorts of tasks, from conjuring up holiday plans to content creation, generative AI – fuelled by the likes of ChatGPT – has become a bit of a big deal. In the consumer tech space, you only have to look at the smart photo editing and language cognition features of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro to see such AI in action. 

So, it’s no surprise that the very much still-rumored iPhone 16 is being tipped to come with generative AI features, with Apple likely being fashionably late to the show by bringing in a new level of AI-powered smartphone tools. 

But I’m not down with that. 

Stick to the core

Of course, AI has played a role in iPhones for ages with the Neural Engine on Apple’s A-series chips powering machine learning algorithms and the Semantic Rendering that has helped iPhone feature consistently on our best camera phones list. However, I’m not so keen on Apple going deep into generative AI. 

Apple’s phone photography is hardly ‘real’ per se, given the way the camera system will capture data and images before the shutter button is pressed and stick together multiple shots. You’re never likely to get the exact scene you’re shooting as a perfect split-second snapshot. 

Yet, the image processing applied has often felt like the most realistic of all the phones I use; iPhones have no qualms leaving dark areas dark and letting highlights bloom in all their glory if the scene calls for it. And this is one of the main reasons why I use an iPhone 15 Pro Max despite the temptation of Android. 

While iPhones have no shortage of editing options or filters, I tend to enjoy the photos they produce in their default settings – or at least default to particular modes – which are very Instagrammable or reaching a standard where putting them on this very website is fine. The idea of having more AI tech to mess with these photos and move away from the realism I feel enshrines iPhone photography isn’t tickling my phone-loving synapse. 

I’m fine with generative AI on Pixel phones, as they’ve always seemed like a testbed of tech innovation; plus, Google does a good job with AI tools and integration. And on Galaxy phones, generative AI sort of fits with the whole maximalist ‘here’s a feature for everything’ vibe I feel Samsung’s flagship phones have. 

I’d not argue against a smarter Siri, and other behind-the-scenes optimizations powered by smart processing. But I don't want a next-gen iPhone to be stuffed with generative AI, manipulating photos beyond realism or serving up too many suggestions. 

That’s because I see iPhones as inherently practical devices; something that’s simple and somewhat manual in operation, with me granting it permissions to suck data from text when needed rather than having an AI-powered assistant or interface trying to do everything for me. I feel Apple’s insistence on arguably limited interfaces and customization, matched with a highly-curated app store, encapsulates this feeling. The iPhone is an everyday tool that you use, like a watch, rather than a super-smart gadget. 

Conversely, the design and the feeling of intent behind some of the best Android phones is to be more like gadgets that you can work with and manipulate into what you want. I’m fine with that, and there’s a place for such Androids in my life. 

But my appreciation for iPhones comes from their simplicity, privacy, ease-of-use and stylish tool-like functionality. This makes them feel boring compared to their Android counterparts, but that’s low-key appealing to me when I just want something to get things done without a load of AI stuff getting in the way. 

Apple does have a reputation for taking existing tech and honing it into a fine point to make the user experience super-slick. So there’s a good chance it could do that with generative AI. 

Yet right now, I feel generative AI isn't quite as capable as I’d like it – even Google’s Magic Editor isn’t that robust in my experience. Instead of being drawn in by AI hype, I’d like the next-generation iPhone to focus on offering more of what Apple is known for: a phone that ‘just works’. 

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It's always nice to see an older phone get new features, and it appears the roll out of iOS 17.4 has brought an unexpected boost to wireless charging speeds on the iPhone 12, which originally launched back in 2020.

As per Macworld, the iPhone 12 can now reach wireless charging speeds of 15W with third-party Qi2 wireless chargers. A number of users are seeing the improvement, so it seems to be legit – though Apple hasn't mentioned it.

You might remember the iPhone 12 handsets introduced the MagSafe charging standard, and it's always been the case that official Apple-certified MagSafe chargers have wirelessly charged up these phones at 15W.

However, wireless chargers without the Apple seal of approval were previously limited to 7.5W, using the Qi2 wireless charging tech also built into the iPhone 12. That charging rate now seems to be matching MagSafe.

Updates, updates, updates

As noted by MacRumors, something similar has previously happened with the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 when iOS 17.2 rolled out, but that time Apple did mention the charging improvements in the software release notes, which it hasn't done this time.

Those upgrades meant the iPhone 12 was the only one of Apple's smartphones with MagSafe that couldn't reach 15W wireless charging speeds with third-party chargers, so it brings more consistency to the line-up, at least.

iOS 17.4 was pushed out to the world on March 21, and also brings with it podcast transcription, improved security features, and new emoji. If you're in the EU, it also enables the option to install third-party app stores for the first time.

iOS 18 is now on the way too. Apple has set June 10 as the date for its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) event this year, when it usually showcases all the changes coming to its various software platforms throughout the rest of the year.

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Apple has already told us it's going to add support for the RCS (Rich Communication Services) messaging standard on the iPhone at some point this year, and now Google may have just revealed when in 2024 the update is going to happen.

A new landing page for Google Messages (via 9to5Google) says Apple "will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024", so we're looking at September, October, or November. It'll be spring for those of you in the southern hemisphere, of course.

Or at least, that's what the landing page originally said: it seems this particular bit of information has now been removed. Perhaps Apple would rather it was able to make the announcement itself, when the time comes.

That time window is of course when we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iOS 18, so it makes sense that RCS support would get added at the same time that Apple is unveiling its latest smartphones and its latest software upgrade for those smartphones. We should hear more about iOS 18 at Apple's WWDC 2024 event on June 10.

The benefits of RCS

The rest of the Google Messages landing page highlights the various features you get with the app on Android. One bit of blurb says dynamic reactions are "coming soon" with RCS, suggesting you'll be able to react to messages with a variety of visual effects across both Android and iOS (this is currently handled by the app itself, not RCS).

There are also mentions of some of the other features we've seen rolled out to Google Messages recently, including Photomoji (using photos as stickers) and the option to have AI write your messages for you, if you're lacking inspiration.

Spam blocking, end-to-end encryption, and support for Wear OS devices are given shout outs too. It's a comprehensive overview of everything you get with RCS, which Google is pushing as a major improvement over the old SMS standard.

Having RCS support in the Messages app on iOS should mean a more seamless experience if you're chatting to people who aren't on the same mobile platform as you – though Android users will still show up as green bubbles on the iPhone.

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Apple Maps was a bit of a disaster when it first launched in 2012, but in the decade since it has vastly improved and can now go toe-to-toe with Google Maps thanks to its excellent tools and features. And now it looks like one of its best features on the Apple Watch is set to come to your iPhone, Mac, and even the Vision Pro headset.

News outlet MacRumors claims to have seen code snippets revealing that the topographic maps feature from watchOS will be making its way over to iOS, macOS and visionOS. This feature packs in extra detail that makes map reading a lot easier, including contour lines, walking trails, elevation and points of interest.

Interestingly, MacRumors notes that the code for topographic maps was actually introduced to iOS, macOS and visionOS in 2023, but has lain dormant ever since. That means Apple just needs to activate it in future versions of these operating systems and everything will be ready to go.

And that is apparently exactly what Apple is doing in iOS 18, macOS 15 and visionOS 2. MacRumors says it has reviewed “backend files” for these operating systems, and in each case “the code is active.” That suggests it’s just a matter of time until the feature makes a splash outside the Apple Watch.

Coming soon to iOS 18

Topographic maps first launched with watchOS 10 and were used to promote the Apple Watch Ultra 2 as being a key companion for hardy outdoor enthusiasts. Yet if MacRumors is correct, you won’t need to own Apple’s most expensive smartwatch to enjoy more detailed and informative maps on your devices.

At the moment, though, the feature is only available in the US, and Apple has been rolling out support throughout the country since it first launched. There’s no word yet on when it might become available for users living elsewhere around the world.

Bringing topographic maps to the iPhone is just one of the rumored features set for iOS 18. The one that has captured the most attention so far is Apple’s plan to radically expand the scope and capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) on your devices. This plan is said to include bringing AI to popular apps like Apple Music and Pages, and the company is reportedly in talks with the likes of Google and OpenAI to bring an AI chatbot to iOS.

That all means that iOS 18 could be one of the biggest software updates in Apple’s history, including for Apple Maps. We’ll find out for sure what it’s going to include at the Apple WWDC 2024 conference on June 10. If you’ve been wanting topographic maps and a sprinkling of AI cleverness on your devices, you’d better mark your calendar.

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We’ve been hearing about a foldable iPhone for a long time now, and recent leaks suggest it’s still years away – or that it maybe won’t launch at all.

The latest news on the matter comes from DigiTimes, which claims that following reports of the foldable iPhone being delayed until early 2027, some analysts now fear the phone will never launch.

The skepticism about the foldable iPhone stems from panel technology apparently not being mature enough – which presumably means Apple would either have to cancel the phone, or keep on delaying until it’s happy with the display quality.

That’s in line with another recent report that suggested the foldable iPhone might have been put on pause until Apple could find a folding display it’s happy with. But this latest news suggest that, rather than simply being paused, the project might be canceled altogether.

The latest in a long line

Certainly, given how long this phone has been rumored for, it seems like it might be proving a challenge for Apple to deliver – and this wouldn’t be the first time the company has given up on something after years of development. Recently we saw the Apple Car get ditched, and before that there was the canceled AirPower wireless charger. Some reports have also suggested that Apple has abandoned its in-house 5G modem project.

So there is precedent for this, and with the rumored release date of the foldable iPhone constantly slipping, it looks ever more possible that the phone might never launch at all.

Those hoping for an Apple foldable might still be in luck though, as there's also been talk of a foldable iPad, which might still launch at some point even if the foldable iPhone is canceled.

As far as phones go though, Apple is already in a dominant position, and while sales of foldables are growing they don’t seem to pose any major threat to the iPhone line right now. So tech issues aside, a foldable iPhone might simply not be a priority anymore.

This is all just speculation for now of course, and we may well still see a foldable iPhone – but right now we wouldn't count on it, and we certainly wouldn't expect to see one anytime soon.

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We're already counting down to the arrival of the iPhone 16 series – most probably sometime in September – and a leak showing dummy units of the upcoming phones has revealed a few of the changes we can expect to see later this year.

These dummy units are usually based on supply chain information, and have various business uses – like helping case manufacturers get their wares ready for new phones before they're launched, for example. In this case, the images were posted to Chinese social network Weibo, as spotted by MacRumors.

Perhaps the most interesting reveal from these blocks of plastic and metal is that they show the previously rumored increase in size for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max displays – up to 6.3 inches (from 6.1 inches) and 6.9 inches (from 6.7 inches) respectively.

That's not a huge jump of course, but it does mean more screen space for apps and media. The bezels are apparently shrinking down to accommodate the larger screens, which means the increase in the physical size of these handsets is only a slight one.

On the button

Further reveals from this leak match up with what we've heard before: that all four models are going to get the Action button that replaced the Ring/Silent switch on the 2023 Pro models, as well as a brand-new Capture button for getting more creative with photos.

Also of note is the redesigned rear camera module that we think is coming to the back of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The new vertical, pill-shaped look has been leaked already, but this is more evidence that it's on the way – taking us back to a design that's more reminiscent of the iPhone 12, which came out in 2020.

As always with such rumors, be somewhat cautious about reading too much into the look of these dummy units. That said, as more and more similar leaks pile up, it becomes more likely that they're based on accurate information.

The next big Apple date for your calendar is WWDC 2024 – its Worldwide Developers Conference starts on June 10, at which time we should hear much more about what's coming this year with iOS 18 and Apple's other software platforms.

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A new phishing attack has been targeting Apple users, bombarding them with notifications and attempting to trick them into allowing hackers access to their account. If the attackers get their way, you can be locked out of every single Apple device you own.

Documented by the Krebs on Security blog (via MacRumors), the exploit involves “MFA bombing,” or sending a constant stream of multi-factor authentication (MFA) requests to a user. These usually display the text “Use this iPhone to reset your Apple ID password,” with options for “Don’t Allow” and “Allow.”

If you select Allow, the hacker is able to change your Apple ID password and lock you out of your own account. Because this method affects your Apple ID (rather than, say, your Lock Screen passcode), it can be used to take over all of your Apple devices that use that same ID.

That makes it a particularly powerful attack. But if you experience it, it’s unlikely you’ll just see one pop-up – the bad actors seem to be exploiting a bug that displays the request over and over again, with a new one appearing each time you select Don’t Allow. 

According to Parth Patel on X (formerly Twitter), you might have to dismiss over 100 messages, with the attackers apparently hoping that you’ll slip up or get tired and mistakenly choose Allow.

A professional and sophisticated attack

And it doesn’t stop there. If you get through all of that and the phishers still have not been able to take over your account, they apparently call you while pretending to be Apple. 

Patel detailed how the impersonators spoofed the official Apple number and asked him for a one-time password (OTP) that had just been texted to him. Handing this over would have been an error as it would have given them another way into Patel’s account, and the text accompanying the OTP explicitly stated it should not be shared with anyone.

Fortunately, Patel did not hand it over. He asked the caller “to validate a ton of information” about himself, much of which they got correct – yet they managed to get his first name wrong. It turns out that they were using a leaked database of personal information from People Data Labs that had incorrectly logged his data.

Krebs on Security determined that the attackers are likely using a page on Apple’s website for users who have forgotten their Apple ID password. This page lets you enter an Apple ID or phone number, pass a CAPTCHA check and send a reset request to the account. It’s not known how the phishers are getting the system to send multiple requests, but it’s likely to be a bug that they are exploiting.

This professional and sophisticated attack shows the lengths some hackers are going to in order to take over targeted Apple accounts, and it is clearly not the work of amateurs. If you get bombarded with password reset requests, make sure you always select Don’t Allow (no matter how many pop-ups appear) and always refuse to hand over OTP details, even if the request appears to be official. 

Apple will never ask for these details (and nor will any other reputable company). It’s your device account that’s on the line, and you need to protect it at all costs.

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The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max might not be the phones to buy if you like interesting or unusual colors for your smartphone, as according to a leak the selection of shades will be quite conservative.

This comes from a leaker posting on Chinese site Weibo (via MacRumors and @VNchocoTaco), who claims that the iPhone 16 Pro (and presumably also the iPhone 16 Pro Max) will be sold in Space Black, White, Gray, and Rose shades.

For reference, the iPhone 15 Pro is available in Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, Black Titanium, and White Titanium. So, based on this leak there will once again be black and white options, though this year’s white shade will apparently be more silvery, similar to the silver iPhone 14 Pro.

The rumored Space Black shade is also unsurprisingly said to be similar to the iPhone 14 Pro’s Space Black, so in both cases slightly different to the current black and white options. Gray is likely a grayer take on Natural Titanium, so again, more of a tweak than a completely different shade.

The only shade that's rumored to be substantially different, then, is Rose, which – based on the color shown in the X post above – is more of a rose gold than a pink. While this shade isn’t available on the iPhone 15 Pro though, it’s a common, popular color choice for phones, and it’s apparently replacing the Titanium Blue iPhone 15 Pro.

Titanium Blue is arguably the most interesting and unusual color you can get Apple’s current Pro phones in, so if it’s replaced by a rather less unusual rose gold shade that will be disappointing for some, although like popular with the many rose gold fans.

Four familiar shades

So this could make for the most pedestrian selection of Pro iPhone color options we’ve seen in a while, which would be a shame. It’s a problem that could also be easily solved if Apple simply offered more than four color choices, which isn't many, especially for such a popular line of phones.

The company sells the standard iPhone 15 in five shades (and a far more interesting selection of shades at that), so it seems odd that it doesn't offer a similar range for its flagship models.

Still, while we don’t expect Apple to suddenly start selling Pro iPhones in bold and bright shades, it’s possible that this leak is inaccurate, so here’s hoping that there’s at least one interesting iPhone 16 Pro color option.

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Smartphone sales have been on the slide in recent years, because they've simply become too good. Why upgrade your iPhone when it still feels perfectly functional, and there are refurbished bargains to be had? Well, Apple's still hoping to convince you to upgrade with its new iPhone comparison tool – though the omission of one crucial detail means I'm still sticking with my iPhone 11 Pro (for now).

Apple's new 'Reasons to upgrade' tool, spotted by 9to5Mac, is actually a pretty useful summary of the real-world differences between the iPhone 15 series and models going back to the iPhone 11. Rather than a sheet of specs, Apple's tool visually spells out differences like camera resolution, storage differences and software features like Cinematic mode.

Clearly, it's a promotional tool, so neglects to mention some of the downsides of upgrading – like the fact that the Apple Trade-In value of my iPhone 11 Pro is likely around $70 (about £55 / AU$105). Also, it's a little galling to see USB-C touted as a reason to upgrade when Apple only belatedly added the feature on the iPhone 15 series after being strong-armed by the EU.

But the tool's visual examples are also way more useful than a spec sheet, particularly when it comes to the camera differences. For example, when comparing the iPhone 11 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro (a move I have been considering), you get an example of the cropping potential of the latter's 48MP sensor and a side-by-side of the stabilizing improvements delivered by Action mode for video. 

On the other hand, the tool would have more potential if it let you choose the areas you want to see compared. For example, it'd be useful to see the clear size differences between models or real-world examples of battery life. Also, one detail Apple naturally neglects to mention is that it launches new iPhones every September – which means "waiting six months could be your best bet" isn't part of the guidance. 

Why I'm waiting

Despite owning a positively ancient iPhone 11 Pro, I decided to skip on the iPhone 15 Pro Max this year because I'm a photographer – and my ideal Apple smartphone is likely to be this year's iPhone 16 Pro.

As the comparison tool tells me, upgrading to an iPhone 15 Pro Max now would give me Apple's 5x telephoto camera. But I'd also have to get a 6.7-inch phone, which is just a bit too big for my liking – if the rumors are true, the iPhone 16 Pro could offer that same camera in a phone with a more manageable 6.3-inch screen.

Also, because the iPhone 15 Pro Max debuted Apple's first 5x optical zoom, my feeling was that it could do with another year of software and hardware refinement before I'd take the leap. The 15 Pro Max is certainly still a great camera phone, which is why it won our Phone of the year award last year, but I always prefer to wait for the second-gen versions of new features.

The added twist this year are the growing rumors that iOS 18 is going to be the iPhone's biggest software upgrade yet. This is expected to be largely due to some AI features across the likes of Siri, Messages and more – and while Apple doesn't often restrict software features to newer models, I like the future-proofing potential of owning an iPhone that's been announced with those new features in mind. This tallies with new rumors that the iPhone 16 Pro's chipset could be designed with AI mind.

So while Apple's new iPhone comparison tool has its uses – unless you're looking at the iPhone 13 series, which is strangely omitted – I won't be clicking Apple's 'buy' button until later this year.

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