Summary of Apple's new iPhones and Watches are better than the last ones

Overview of Apple's new iPhones and Watches are better than the last ones — The Verge

In this Vergecast episode, Allison Johnson and Vjeran Pavic break down The Verge’s reviews of Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro / Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 12 / Ultra 4. The big theme: these are better devices than last year’s models, but the upgrades are mostly iterative rather than dramatic. The iPhones lean on camera hardware changes and a more capable Siri, while the watches focus on improved sensors, new health metrics, and experimental AI/audio features. Their overall verdict is cautious approval, with clear guidance on who should upgrade and who can safely wait.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: Small changes, mostly camera-focused

What’s new

• The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max look and feel very similar to the iPhone 17 Pro line.
• Core upgrades include:
  • A new A20 Pro chip
  • Slightly bigger batteries
  • Shipping with iOS 27
  • A new Siri
  • A smaller Dynamic Island
• The phones are also $100 more expensive than last year:
  • Pro starts at $1,199
  • Pro Max starts at $1,299

The camera changes

• The main camera gets a mechanical variable aperture for the first time on an iPhone.
• It can shift from f/1.48 to f/4, allowing more light in and giving Apple more control over depth of field.
• In practice, the hosts say the difference is real but subtle:
  • Most people won’t notice much in everyday use
  • Benefits are more obvious in edge cases, like group shots or low light
• The camera also includes manual pro controls in the native camera app:
  • Shutter speed
  • Focus
  • White balance
• Those controls are welcome, but the UI is described as small and fiddly, so they may appeal more to enthusiasts than casual users.

Real-world impact

• The variable aperture is technically cool, but the hosts emphasize that the gains are marginal for most users.
• The brighter aperture does help in low light by letting in more light and potentially shortening night mode exposure times.
• Accessories are still compatible:
  • A case made for the iPhone 18 Pro fits the 17 Pro, which underscores how similar the phones are physically.

Siri and AI

• Siri is now more useful for system-level tasks:
  • Checking calendars
  • Updating directions in CarPlay
  • Searching across messages and emails
• The hosts say Siri has finally reached the point where it’s trustworthy for some tasks, though not transformative.
• They also note some aggressive AI suggestions, like Genmoji prompts and Apple Cash prompts, which feel hit-or-miss.

Upgrade advice for iPhone owners

• Upgrade if:
  • Your phone is 3+ years old
  • Your current device is wearing out
  • You care deeply about the camera improvements
• Wait if:
  • You have an iPhone 17 Pro and are happy with it
  • You want more than a modest year-over-year upgrade
• Their bottom line: better phone, not a must-buy.

Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4: Better sensors, more health data, more AI

Hardware and sensor updates

• The Series 12 has a redesigned sensor array on the back:
  • A new 32-electrode design
  • Reworked optical sensors
• Apple says this improves:
  • Heart rate sampling frequency
  • Heart rate variability tracking
  • Energy efficiency and light leakage
• There’s also a new S11 chip with a secure exclave for some AI-related processing.

New health features

• The biggest new health metric is Readiness:
  • Combines sleep, activity, and recovery data into a 1–10 score
  • Intended to help users decide whether to push hard or take it easy
• Apple also introduces a new recovery HRV metric for sleep-based recovery tracking.
• A new Health Age feature is coming later, tied to a redesigned Health app:
  • Compares your physiological age to your chronological age
  • The hosts are skeptical of the concept and call similar “health age” ideas misleading or gimmicky

Audio intelligence and AI features

• Apple is rolling out a set of “audio intelligence” features, though the most ambitious ones are not available yet:
  • Live Rewind: go back 15 seconds and see a transcript on your wrist
  • Siri Recap: high-level summaries of conversations
• Apple is emphasizing privacy:
  • Audio is sent to a secure exclave
  • Raw audio is deleted after processing
  • Summaries are supposed to avoid direct attribution
• The hosts think these features may be genuinely useful in certain settings:
  • Lectures
  • Meetings
  • Live events
• But they’re less convinced these belong in everyday life.

Other watch features

• Music detection / Shazam-style recognition now works more automatically from the Smart Stack.
• Sound recognition remains useful for accessibility, like identifying a doorbell.
• New colors/materials are a notable part of the appeal:
  • Radiant Gold
  • Dark Bronze
  • Ceramic finishes
• The Ultra 4 gets a meaningful battery boost:
  • Around 50 hours of battery life, up from roughly 42
  • Includes an extended workout mode

Upgrade advice for Apple Watch owners

• Upgrade if:
  • You have a Series 6 or older
  • You own the original Ultra
• Probably wait if:
  • You have a Series 9, 10, or 11
  • You already own an Ultra 3
• They also suggest that if you dislike the AI audio features, you can simply buy an older model:
  • Series 10 or 11 remain strong options
  • The new AI features are opt-in, not default

Key takeaways

• Apple’s newest phones and watches are refinements, not reinventions.
• The iPhone 18 Pro’s standout feature is the variable aperture camera, but its impact is more subtle than flashy.
• The Apple Watch Series 12’s biggest change is its new sensor system, which powers more frequent health tracking and readiness metrics.
• The new AI features on both devices are promising but uneven, and privacy concerns remain part of the conversation.
• If your current Apple device is relatively recent, the hosts suggest waiting is perfectly reasonable.