Top Stories: iPhone 16e Launch, iPhone 17 and Foldable Rumors, and More

With Friday's launch, the iPhone 16e has become the newest member of Apple's iPhone 16 family and the company's latest low-cost iPhone option, though it does come in at a significantly higher price point than the outgoing iPhone SE.

top stories 2025 03 01
Other major Apple news and rumor stories this week included new details on both the iPhone 17 lineup coming later this year and Apple's first foldable iPhone expected in 2026, as well as additional tidbits from the initial iOS 18.4 beta and more, so read on below for all the details!

iPhone 16e Reviews: Is It Worth $599?

Following last week's introduction of the new iPhone 16e, the first media reviews landed just ahead of the device's official launch on Friday.

Apple iPhone 16e Feature 1
Apple's new cheapest iPhone includes excellent battery life thanks to a larger battery, Apple's custom C1 modem, and other optimizations, though there are some compromises such as a single rear camera, a lack of MagSafe support, and a lower-spec A18 chip than in the regular iPhone 16.

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Reportedly Has No Visible Display Crease

Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices.

iPhone Fold Vertical Feature
Another rumor claims that Apple's foldable iPhone will have a 5.49-inch external display with an inner display that measures 7.74 inches when unfolded, while both displays will have an "unprecedented aspect ratio."

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way.

apple watch ultra snow
Hypertension detection is expected to make its way into the Apple Watch Ultra after many years of development, satellite connectivity is expected to expand from the iPhone to the Apple Watch, brighter displays are likely in the works, and more.

Revealed: Entire iPhone 17 Lineup's Striking New Camera Designs

We're expecting some significant changes for the iPhone 17 lineup when it launches later this year, particularly with the rear of the devices, and a new set of CAD renderings shows what we may see.

iphone 17 lineup cad render majin bu
The renderings are in line with previous rumors about a dual-material back casing for the Pro models with a significantly larger camera bump across the entire top portion of the devices, while the all-new ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" will have a similar but smaller camera bump.

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

While the Apple Intelligence-powered Siri overhaul appears to have been pushed back to a later update, the first iOS 18.4 beta does include some new features, and one of the small but welcome ones is a nice CarPlay improvement to display more app icons on CarPlay Home in some vehicles.


Other features in the initial iOS 18.4 beta include Priority Notifications for Apple Intelligence devices to help identify which of your notifications are likely to be the most important and bring them to the top of your Lock Screen, a new Ambient Music feature, and a new Food section for Apple News+ subscribers.

iOS 18.4 and related updates are scheduled to be released to the public in early April.

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

We've been hearing for some time about a second-generation AirTag, and a new rumor claims it could arrive in May or June.

AirTag 2 Mock Feature
While the claim doesn't include any detail about what to expect in the updated model, previous rumors have pointed to range improvements, a more tamper-resistant speaker to help address stalking concerns, and potentially some sort of special Apple Vision Pro integration.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
apple tv 4k new orange

Next Apple TV Expected to Launch This Year With These New Features

Monday September 22, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
The next Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Likely Features N1 Chip With Wi-Fi 7 Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the next Apple TV would be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, which is...
Apple Intelligence General Feature 2

iOS 26.1 Adds New Apple Intelligence Languages and Expands AirPods Live Translation

Monday September 22, 2025 11:15 am PDT by
With iOS 26.1, Apple Intelligence is gaining support for additional languages, including Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. Apple announced plans to expand the languages that can be used with Apple Intelligence last year, and now the added language support is here. Apple Intelligence is now available in the following...
iPhone 17 Pro USB C Port

iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C Charging Speeds Tested With Apple Chargers

Monday September 22, 2025 7:29 am PDT by
The website ChargerLAB has tested the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB-C charging speeds with a variety of Apple's chargers, from 18W to 140W. The device reached a peak charging speed of around 36W with the following Apple chargers:40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max 61W USB-C Power Adapter 67W USB-C Power Adapter 70W USB-C Power Adapter 96W USB-C Power Adapter 140W USB-C Power AdapterFor...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

Skipped the iPhone 17 Pro? Here's What is Rumored for iPhone 18 Pro

Tuesday September 23, 2025 8:55 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. This story was published previously, and it has been updated to reflect the latest rumors. Many early rumors prove to be true, but nothing is confirmed yet, and Apple's...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

Apple Blames In-Store MagSafe Chargers for iPhone 17 Pro Display Model Scratches

Wednesday September 24, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
The marks on the iPhone 17 Pro models that people have noticed at Apple retail stores are caused by the chargers that Apple uses, Apple confirmed today. Apple told 9to5Mac that worn MagSafe charging stands in stores are causing marks on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Apple says that the marks are not scratches, and are instead material transfer from the stand to the phone. The...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Confirms iOS 26 Wallet Passport Feature is Coming in 2025

Tuesday September 23, 2025 1:06 pm PDT by
Digital ID, the iOS 26 feature that lets U.S. passport holders add their passports to the Wallet app, is coming later in 2025, Apple confirmed today. Apple updated the release timing wording of Digital ID on its iOS 26 features page. "Digital ID will be coming later this year with US passports only," it reads. Prior to today, the footnote for the feature said "Digital ID will be available ...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro is Vulnerable to Scratching, But Not Where You Might Think

Tuesday September 23, 2025 2:18 pm PDT by
Early reports have suggested that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air are more vulnerable to scratches and scuffs, primarily due to damage spotted at Apple Stores. Apple customers have discovered that the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models Apple has out for display at its retail locations have scratching in the area of the MagSafe charger. Those devices are handled by hundreds to thousands of...

Top Rated Comments

Mike-G Avatar
8 months ago

“No visible crease”…I’ll believe it when I see it
If you could see it, it would be a visible crease...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FelixDerKater Avatar
8 months ago
Of course not. Buy a prior flagship...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tooloud10 Avatar
8 months ago
“No visible crease”…I’ll believe it when I see it
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)