iPhone 18 Pro’s best Dynamic Island feature is one Apple barely mentioned

IPhone 18 Pro is here ( read our review), and its Dynamic Island is better than ever. My personal favorite change is something Apple barely mentioned: an improved dual Live Activity mode. IPhone 18 Pro’s best Dynamic Island feature is one Apple barely mentioned.

Review: Beats 360 are the closest Apple headphones to AirPods Max, with one caveat Michael Burkhardt Sep 22 2026.

As usual, September has been a very busy month for Apple, with the company unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Duo, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, Beats 360, and more. Nevertheless, Apple reportedly still has many more products to release later this year, including a new iPad mini, Apple TV, HomePod mini, iMac, and more.

The iPhone 18 Pro offers Apple’s latest and greatest, but it’s only a meaningful upgrade if you’re coming from a model that’s several years old. Five reasons to stick with your iPhone 17 Pro instead of upgrading to the 18 Pro.

It seems quite likely that Apple will hold an October event this year to announce at least some of the rumored new products, while others might be introduced in press releases. Below, we have recapped what to expect from Apple next month.

Big Tech Apple Five reasons to stick with your iPhone 17 Pro instead of upgrading to the 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is an impressive phone, but you won’t notice a big difference compared to the 17 Pro. This generation isn’t radically different from the iPhone 17 Pro, but some folks might still consider upgrading — especially if you get a good deal from your carrier.

Apple does unveil new products in November or December sometimes, but this is less common. When The table below outlines Apple’s product announcements in October over the past five years.

But is it really worth moving from the iPhone 17 Pro to the iPhone 18 Pro. You’d likely be better off saving the cash and sticking with your current device for now.

Year Tagline Event or Press Release Dates New Products 2021 "Unleashed" Event Monday, October 18 – MacBook Pro models with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips – AirPods 3 – New HomePod mini colors – Apple Polishing Cloth 2022 "Take Note" Press Releases Tuesday, October 18 – iPad Pro with M2 chip – iPad 10 – Apple TV 4K (3rd generation) 2023 "Scary Fast" Event Monday, October 30 – MacBook Pro models with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips – 24" iMac with M3 chip 2024 — Press Release Tuesday, October 15 – iPad mini with A17 Pro chip 2024 "Mac Your Calendars" Press Releases Monday, October 28 to Wednesday, October 30 – 24" iMac with M4 chip – Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chips – MacBook Pro models with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips 2025 "Something Powerful is Coming" Press Releases Wednesday, October 15 – 14" MacBook Pro with M5 chip – iPad Pro with M5 chip – Vision Pro with M5 chip What The following products may launch before the end of 2026: iPad mini: A19 Pro or A20 Pro chip, an OLED display, a new speaker system without holes, and a water-resistant design. 24" iMac: M6 chip and new color options.

All told, these two units aren’t that different. They look pretty much the same Filipe Espósito for As we noted in our full review of the iPhone 18 Pro, you’d probably have a hard time spotting the differences between it and the 17 Pro if it weren’t for the new colors.

14" MacBook Pro: A new base model MacBook Pro with an M6 chip. 14" and 16" MacBook Pro models with OLED displays: A major MacBook Pro redesign in late 2026 with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, an OLED display, a touch screen, a Dynamic Island, and a thinner design.

The iPhone 18 Pro comes in a new deep Burgundy and a light Glacial. There’s also a black model, which a lot of people had been asking for after its absence in the 17 Pro lineup.

Apple TV: At least five new features, including an A17 Pro chip or newer, an increased 8GB of RAM for Apple Intelligence, Siri AI support, an Apple-designed N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and an updated Siri Remote. The new Apple TV will apparently look similar to the existing model, so do not expect any major design changes.

HomePod mini: Newer chip with Siri AI support, improved sound quality, Apple’s N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, and potentially new color options like red. Home Hub: An all-new Apple smart home hub featuring Siri AI, a 6-inch to 7-inch square display, an A18 chip or newer for Apple Intelligence, FaceTime, and more.