iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max hands-on

That there is an iPhone 15 Pro.

We’ve just had our first chance to check out the new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which Apple just announced at its annual fall event in Cupertino. There are lots of new things about the devices — camera upgrades, the new A17 Bionic chip — but there are three things about the phone you notice right away. The thing is made of titanium; there’s an Action Button on the left side; and that’s a USB-C port on the bottom. Oh, and a fourth thing: the sides of the phones on display were instantly and immediately covered in fingerprints.

At first glance, the 15 Pro looks just like the iPhones Pro before it. But pick one up, and the lighter weight due to the titanium frame is obvious, as are the curved edges. It’s just nicer to hold. Apple says the...

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Resident Evil 4 remake is coming to the iPhone 15 Pro

Image: Capcom

The big Apple iPhone event did contain some tasty morsels for us gamers, as Apple announced that the Resident Evil 4 remake, Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and The Division Resurgence would all be coming to the iPhone 15 Pro later this year and in early 2024.

The advent of cloud gaming makes playing the huge releases reserved for PC and consoles on mobile possible. But because the games are being streamed to the phone, players have to rely on internet speeds to play.

Apple’s newer silicon made gaming on its laptops actually feel possible, and the company has shown off the capabilities of its M1- and M2-series chips repeatedly at previous keynotes. But thus far, game developers, Hideo Kojima...

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A first look at the new iPhone 15 with USB-C and a big camera upgrade

The iPhone 15 Plus in yellow. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Apple has just announced its new iPhone 15 models, and the big news is USB-C, a camera upgrade, the addition of the Dynamic Island, and even some improvements to the display.

We’ve just managed to get a first look at the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and the new colors look great. The matte back and rounded sides are noticeably nicer to hold than the prior models, and it’s essentially the great parts of the iPhone 14 Pro in a lighter, nice-to-hold casing.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Yes, it really is USB-C on an iPhone.

Apple is finally moving to USB-C on the iPhone 15, which means you can finally use a single cable to charge your MacBook and your iPhone. Apple confirmed last year that it would make the change...

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Apple iPhone 15 event: the seven biggest announcements

Screenshot by Emma Roth / The Verge

Apple’s iPhone 15 event has come to an end. As expected, the iPhone 15 wasn’t the only major reveal that Apple made during the showcase.

From an updated smartwatch lineup to a shift toward USB-C charging, here’s a roundup of all the big announcements Apple made at its Wonderlust event.

The iPhone 15 lineup adds USB-C, Dynamic Island, and more

Screenshot by Emma Roth / The Verge

Apple has taken the wraps off of the heavily rumored iPhone 15 lineup. Not only do the new devices come with USB-C for the first time but they also feature the Dynamic Island that initially only came with the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models.

The new iPhone 15 also has the A16 chip that Apple included with the 14 Pro. While the iPhone 15 will...

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Steam just turned 20 years old and Valve is celebrating

All of Valve’s games are on sale today — because Steam is 20 years old. The company’s got a cute walk down memory lane to help celebrate, too. But don’t go looking there for a history of Steam itself... perhaps because Steam was originally a tad controversial?

It’s easy to forget: many PC gamers hated Steam at launch.

When it launched 20 years ago today on September 12, 2003, it seemed like Valve was trying to take away our multiplayer server browsers and our DVDs. 2004’s Half-Life 2, which required Steam to play even if you bought a physical disc, made Steam look like a glorified piece of DRM.

And why pay Valve, many game publishers asked themselves, when they could build or buy their own digital distribution platforms like EA’s...

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Hands-on with the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and Apple Watch Series 9

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

We’ve gotten to hold the new Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the Apple Watch Series 9, which Apple just revealed at its Wonderlust event on Tuesday.

The new Apple Watches look a lot like their predecessors, so there’s not much surprising on that front. The Ultra 2 still has that rugged look and titanium shell, and the Series 9 has the same general design as many of Apple’s recent smartwatches.

The tech specs have a few nice jumps, though. Both are equipped with a new S9 SiP (System in Package) and a new ultra wideband chip. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 jumps up to a screen brightness as high as 3,000 nits, while the Apple Watch Series 9 can max out at 2,000 nits. Both will also support a double tap...

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macOS Sonoma comes out on September 26th

Apple has announced the release date of macOS 14, better known as macOS Sonoma. The operating system will be available to the public on September 26th.

Sonoma brings a number of features to macOS that make the operating system look and feel much more like iOS. Mac users will see desktop widgets, videoconferencing features, and a new Game Mode that’s said to raise frame rates and reduce latency during gameplay.

Safari is also receiving a number of new features, including browser profiles, which can retain different sets of bookmarks and different focuses.

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Apple is adding Roadside Assistance via satellite to the iPhone

Apple brings satellite-powered Roadside Assistance to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 14 in a partnership with AAA. | Image: Apple

During the iPhone 15 launch event in Cupertino, Apple announced it’s adding satellite-powered Roadside Assistance to the iPhone in a partnership with AAA. Buying and activating a new iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 series device will include two years of Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance access for free. The services they connect you to are covered under the AAA membership terms or available on a pay-per-use basis for non-AAA members.

The Roadside Assistance service — which is US only at launch — is an expansion of the Emergency SOS via satellite feature launched with iPhone 14 last year. If you have car trouble, you can text AAA for assistance for your emergencies, such as being locked out, running out of fuel, or a flat tire (you know,...

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Apple is releasing iOS 17 on September 18th

iOS 17 introduces new features like Standby mode (pictured). | Image: Apple

iOS 17 will be available for public download on September September 18th, introducing iPhone users to new features like Live Voicemail, StandBy mode, and a new Journal app. Apple made the announcement during its iPhone 15 launch event on Tuesday after first unveiling the operating system at WWDC on June 5th.

Following its full release, iOS 17 users can create customizable stickers, set up Contact Posters, and benefit from various improvements to autocorrect, AirDrop, and voice transcription. You can also activate Siri without having to say “hey” first, and the new Live Voicemail feature will display a live transcript on your screen as a voicemail is being recorded if you don’t answer your phone. We particularly like the new StandBy mode...

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Apple kills the iPhone Mini

Farewell, old friend. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The mini-sized iPhone is dead. Apple quietly dropped the iPhone 13 Mini from its lineup on Tuesday, discontinuing the last of its smaller-sized phones.

The new lineup now consists of the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 14, iPhone 13, and the second-generation iPhone SE (2022).

Apple first introduced the 5.4-inch Mini phone in 2020 with the iPhone 12 Mini. While a few of us at The Verge were fans — including myself — it appears we were in the minority. It’s possible many were turned off by the battery life, which was noticeably worse than the iPhone 12’s, and found the screen to be cramped.

Less than a year later, Apple had to reduce production of the iPhone 12 Mini by 70 percent. It came as no surprise, then, when Apple didn’t...

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Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max now costs more — but also has double the storage

iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. | Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge

It’ll cost you a little more to buy an iPhone 15 Pro Max this year. The new phone has undergone some big changes, and with them comes a new starting price of $1,199 for a 256GB model phone. Last year, you were able to get a Pro Max starting at $1,099, but it came with 128GB of storage. That option isn’t available for the 15 Pro Max, so you’re stuck paying more — but getting more storage in exchange.

The iPhone 15 Pro will remain $999, and Apple will release both phones on September 22nd, with preorders starting this Friday.

Rumors have for months predicted that Apple would move up the price this year as a result of changes to the lineup, such as the new brushed titanium alloy frame and thinner bezels. It will also have a faster A17 SoC...

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Here’s how the iPhone 15 Pro’s Action Button works

The switch is gone. | Image: Apple

Apple revealed the new iPhone 15 Pro today, and there’s a brand-new button on the side that can be customized to trigger a specific function. This new “Action Button” is similar to the one introduced on the Apple Watch Ultra, which can activate workouts, among other abilities.

The Action Button, which replaces the ring / vibrate switch, can be programmed to do things like activating the camera, turning on the flashlight, starting a Voice Memo, opening a note, switching Focus modes, or running your own custom shortcuts. You can also set accessibility options like Magnifier.

The Action Button switches the iPhone between ring and vibrate by default, which is vital since it has replaced the ring / vibrate switch that Apple has included on...

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Apple iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max announced with titanium bodies and an Action Button

iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max | Image: Apple

Apple just announced its new high-end iPhones: the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. They’re made of titanium, they have Action Buttons, and Apple promises they’re the most powerful smartphones Apple has ever made. The 15 Pro starts at $999 with 128GB of storage, and the Pro Max at $1,199 with 256GB of storage. Both will be available for preorder this Friday and on sale September 22nd.

This year’s Pro has a 6.1-inch screen, and the Pro Max has a 6.7-inch display — same as the new iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. Both are powered by the A17 Pro chip, which Apple says has the fastest performance in any smartphone and can even challenge some high-end PCs. Along with a redesigned GPU, Apple seems to think these devices could be poised to level up the...

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Apple is switching the AirPods Pro charging case to USB-C

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

It’d be a little strange for Apple to transition the iPhone lineup over to USB-C only to leave its massively popular AirPods Pro stuck with Lightning charging ports. Predictably, that’s not what’s going to be happening: today, Apple announced that the AirPods Pro will now be shipping with a USB-C charging case. This will let buyers of the new iPhone 15 charge their earbuds using the same cable for both devices. You’ll also be able to charge your AirPods from an iPhone, Apple said during the presentation.

Aside from the case, these are still the same, excellent second-generation AirPods Pro in every other way, and they’ll soon be gaining new software features like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, and more. Unfortunately, you’ll...

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Apple announces iPhone 15 with a big camera upgrade, the Dynamic Island, and more

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Apple has just announced the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and the big upgrade is the Dynamic Island from the iPhone 14 Pro. If you were hoping for a totally new iPhone 15 design, well, that’s not happening this year. This year’s iPhone looks largely the same as the iPhone 14 before it, with the iPhone 15 continuing to use a 6.1-inch display. The iPhone 15 will ship in pink, yellow, green, blue, black variants.

All models of the iPhone 15 will come with the Dynamic Island. That’s the pill-shaped cutout that first debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, providing a new way to see certain notifications and interact with apps. The iPhone 15 also has an OLED Super Retina display, which supports Dolby Vision content with 1,600 nits of brightness....

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Apple’s new FineWoven line replaces leather cases and Apple Watch bands

A close-up look at some of the new FineWoven Apple Watch bands. | Image: Apple

Apple has a new premium material for Apple Watch bands and iPhone cases. It’s here to replace its leather offerings that, in the case of phone cases at least, have been declining in quality for several years now. The new material is called FineWoven, a soft fabric material Apple will offer in an assortment of iPhone and Apple Watch band colors. The change comes as leather “has a significant carbon footprint at Apple’s scale,” according to Lisa Jackson, Apple’s environmental policy VP.

FineWoven is a microtwill material that Apple says is constructed from 68 percent postconsumer recycled material. It has a suede-like feel, and its use in Apple Watch bands is complemented by Magnetic Link and Modern Buckle closures.

As someone who owns a...

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Apple’s watchOS 10 is coming September 18th

WatchOS 10 on the Apple Watch Series 9. | Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge

Apple has announced that watchOS 10 will be ready to download starting on September 18th. The update may be the biggest change to watchOS since Apple released its massively popular smartwatch, overhauling the former honeycomb grid and adding widgets — er, glances, as Apple calls them — that you can swipe through and customize.

The company also announced that, for the Apple Watch Series 9, Siri commands will be processed on-device. The new watch will also get a new Ultra Wide Band chip that can detect when a HomePod is nearby so you can control it from your watch. Apple is also upgrading an accessibility feature to a main feature for the OS — double tapping your fingers together on the same hand the watch is on can do things like answer...

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Apple announces the Apple Watch Ultra 2

Apple has announced its newest flagship smartwatch, the Apple Watch Ultra 2. The Ultra 2’s design looks quite similar to that of the first-generation Apple Watch Ultra, which means most of the upgrades are on the inside.

The watch has an upgraded display from the previous Ultra model, rated for 3,000 nits, which Apple says is the brightest display an Apple Watch has ever had. Apple claims that users will get 72 hours to a charge when the device is in low-power mode. The case is now made from 95 percent recycled titanium.

While the Ultra’s hardware has seen an upgrade, some of the biggest changes that Apple Watch users will see this year will come with watchOS 10, which brings widgets, redesigned app icons, and new mapping...

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Apple announces Apple Watch Series 9, and it has a handy double-tap feature

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Apple announced the Apple Watch Series 9 at its Wonderlust event on Tuesday, and it will eventually include a whole new double-tap gesture.

One of the biggest changes is a new S9 SiP (System in Package). The CPU has 5.6 billion transistors, a GPU that’s 30 percent faster, and a four-core neural engine. That translates to improvements like Siri requests being processed on the device. The watch also has a second-generation ultra wideband chip to help with precision finding with your iPhone. One other improvement is a brighter display: Apple says it can get as bright as 2000 nits, which is double the maximum you can get from the Series 8.

The Series 9 also offers a “double-tap” feature that lets you tap your index finger and thumb together...

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Apple’s Vision Pro headset is on track to ship early next year

Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Back in July, Apple announced that developers could begin applying for Vision Pro developer kits. Today, CEO Tim Cook provided another update onstage at the company’s Cupertino “Wonderlust” launch event: the Vision Pro headset is still on track to ship early next year.

Early testers of the Vision Pro have been highly impressed with the headset’s display resolution, video passthrough capabilities, and gesture detection. It’s clearly a very capable headset, but the true test of its potential will be in the use cases it presents. The stronger the Vision Pro’s app ecosystem is at launch, the more likely it is that consumers will decide they need it.

Apple announced the Vision Pro in June. The headset was said to be on track for a release...

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The next Sims will be free and won’t replace The Sims 4

An early screenshot of Project Rene. | Image: EA

EA is continuing to slowly reveal details about its next-gen The Sims game, codenamed Project Rene. This time, during a Behind The Sims presentation, the company announced some key features — notably how the game will be priced and how it will exist alongside existing titles in The Sims franchise.

In terms of price, EA says that Project Rene will be free to download, which shouldn’t be too surprising given that The Sims 4 went free-to-play last year. “This means that when Project Rene is ready and fully open to players, you will be able to join, play, and explore it without a subscription, core game purchase, or energy mechanics,” the company explained in a blog post. “We want playing to be super easy for you to invite or join friends...

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More companies commit to the White House AI safety accord

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Companies like Adobe, IBM, and Nvidia promised the White House they would develop safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, the second such agreement the Biden administration negotiated with AI developers. Other companies that committed to the White House include Cohere, Palantir, Salesforce, Scale AI, and Stability AI.

Many of the commitments are similar to the earlier ones signed by Meta, Google, and OpenAI. The agreements are voluntary, so there is no punishment if the companies fail to follow through.

In a press release, the White House said the companies have agreed to create internal and external testing of AI systems before commercial release, invest in safeguards to protect model weights, and share information to manage risks with...

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Apple is ‘unlikely’ to release a new iPad before the end of the year

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

If you’re hoping Apple is going to announce new iPads sometime soon, you might want to reset those expectations. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, “new iPad models are unlikely before the year’s end,” he said in a tweet on Tuesday.

We weren’t expecting to see them at Tuesday’s Wonderlust event; rumors have pointed to that show being about new iPhones, Apple Watches, and possibly AirPods. However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said last week on the MacRumors show that “I do think we might get an iPad refresh in October” and that a spec-bumped iPad Air is “coming soonish.” (The iPad Air was last refreshed in early 2022.) Gurman also noted that the “major” new iPad Pros, which he has said will have M3 chips and OLED screens, will be...

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Lyft now lets drivers prioritize matches with women and nonbinary riders

Women Plus Connect is a new feature in the Lyft app that lets women and nonbinary drivers and riders opt to prefer women and nonbinary drivers and riders. | Image: Lyft

On Tuesday, rideshare service Lyft launched Women Plus Connect, an in-app feature that “matches women and nonbinary drivers with more women and nonbinary riders.” The move is an effort to improve safety and encourage more women and nonbinary drivers to work with the company. A report by The Verge found that female rideshare drivers frequently face harassment and sexual assault and feel unsupported by rideshare companies.

The feature offers Lyft drivers an option to turn on a preference in the Lyft app to prioritize matches with other nearby women and nonbinary riders. It’s not a guarantee, however, and if no riders that match that description are nearby, drivers will still be matched with men.

Image: Lyft

The...

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Dbrand says ‘you’ll die before’ its iPhone 15 Pro Ghost Case yellows

The Dbrand Ghost case for the iPhone 15 Pro, exploded. | Image: Dbrand

Dbrand has a new $50 clear case, called the Ghost Case, for several flagship phones — including the iPhone 15 Pro phones Apple will announce today. And Dbrand says it’s “literally impossible” for it to turn yellow. That’s a tall claim, but Dbrand insists that the matte black that frames the case makes it so. The cases will start shipping in October, but you can preorder them now.

Dbrand pins the anti-yellowing feature on the two-tone design. CEO Adam Ijaz told The Verge in an email that “it’s a blend of materials, post-processing, and — most importantly — deliberate industrial design choices.” More on this later.

Dbrand describes the cases as grippy and the buttons as clicky and tactile and claims it can withstand a 10-foot drop. The...

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iPhone 15 event live blog: all the news from Apple’s keynote

Illustration: The Verge

We’re on the ground in Cupertino for the launch of Apple’s next phones and watches — and the big, long-awaited change from Lightning to USB-C.

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Nvidia boosts Starfield performance with GPU driver update

Image: Bethesda

Nvidia is rolling out an update that will improve Starfield performance for owners of RTX 30- and 40-series cards. Nvidia says its automatic over-the-air update will enable Resizable BAR and boost Starfield performance for its latest GPUs.

“Today, Nvidia is releasing a Resizable BAR profile for Starfield which increases performance on GeForce RTX 40 Series and GeForce RTX 30 Series desktop and laptop GPUs,” explains Andrew Burnes, technical marketer at Nvidia, in a blog post. “In our testing scenario, GeForce RTX 40-series desktop GPUs see on average a 5 percent increase in performance.”

The over-the-air update will be applied to the existing 537.17 drivers and the new 537.34 drivers Nvidia released today. The latest drivers also...

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Amazon will pay an oil company to help it meet climate goals

Executives hold shovels during a groundbreaking ceremony at the Occidental Petroleum and 1PointFive Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant in Ector County, Texas, on April 28th, 2023. | Photo by Jordan Vonderhaar / Bloomberg via Getty Images

Amazon is the latest tech giant to buy into the idea of filtering carbon dioxide out of the air as a way to combat climate change. The company is backing an oil giant, Occidental Petroleum, to help it do just that. Amazon announced today that it plans to purchase 250,000 metric tons of carbon removal from Occidental subsidiary 1PointFive.

This is the latest in a stream of announcements from Big Tech companies turning to emerging carbon removal technologies to help them meet their climate goals. Sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere is one way to try to undo the damage caused by pollution companies have already created. But much of the carbon removal industry has deep ties to oil and gas. And when companies like Amazon pay to deal with their...

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More than Sally Ride: Loren Grush explains how NASA’s first women astronauts changed space

Photo illustration by Alex Parkin / The Verge

In the 1980s, NASA wanted space to become a booming business — and the first six women astronauts were meant to help get it off the ground.

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The Fall of the House of Usher looks like it might be Mike Flanagan’s darkest Netflix series yet

Image: Netflix

As has become a near-annual tradition, Mike Flanagan’s next horror series is about to drop on Netflix just in time for spooky season. The latest is called The Fall of the House of Usher, and it’s based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe — and if the first trailer is anything to go by, it could also be the darkest show yet from Flanagan. The eight-episode-long series starts streaming on October 12th.

Flanagan’s relationship with Netflix kicked off with The Haunting of Hill House in 2020 and has since expanded with series including The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and last year’s Midnight Club. In addition to being thematically similar, the shows also feature a number of recurring cast members who appear in multiple series as...

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