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AirPods 5 Are Rated IP57, and Apple Publishes No Depth, Duration or Standard
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AirPods 5 Are Rated IP57, and Apple Publishes No Depth, Duration or Standard

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

AirPods 5 are rated IP57, up from IP54 on AirPods 4, and that is the entire published statement. Apple’s tech specs page gives the rating one line in a row labelled water and sweat, with no depth, no duration, no test standard named and no separate line for the charging case. AirPods 5 move from…

AirPods 5 Head Gestures Need Three Settings On First, Not One
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AirPods 5 Head Gestures Need Three Settings On First, Not One

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Nodding to take a call on AirPods 5 is not a single switch. Apple’s own guide says head gestures have to be turned on in the AirPods settings, and that using them to respond to Siri requires Announce Calls and Announce Notifications to be on as well, which means three separate settings before a nod…

iPhone 18 Pro Ultra Wide: f/2.2 for a Fifth Straight Year, and the f/1.8 Apple Never Brought Back
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iPhone 18 Pro Ultra Wide: f/2.2 for a Fifth Straight Year, and the f/1.8 Apple Never Brought Back

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Apple’s tech specs page lists the iPhone 18 Pro Ultra Wide as a 48MP Fusion camera at 13 mm and f/2.2 with a 120-degree field of view. That f/2.2 has been the Pro Ultra Wide figure every year since the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, and the brightest Ultra Wide Apple has ever published for…

iPhone 18 Pro at 211 g: The Small Pro Has Gained 24 Grams Since the Titanium iPhone 15 Pro
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iPhone 18 Pro at 211 g: The Small Pro Has Gained 24 Grams Since the Titanium iPhone 15 Pro

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

The iPhone 18 Pro weighs 211 grams, or 7.44 ounces, on Apple’s tech specs page, which makes it the heaviest 6.1-inch or 6.3-inch Pro iPhone Apple has published a figure for. It carries 24 grams more than the 187 gram iPhone 15 Pro, the model that introduced the titanium frame in 2023. All four iPhone…

AirPods 5 Come With No Ear Tips: What Open-Ear Noise Cancellation Has to Work Around
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AirPods 5 Come With No Ear Tips: What Open-Ear Noise Cancellation Has to Work Around

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

AirPods 5 are the first open-ear AirPods with Active Noise Cancellation at this level, and the box contains no ear tips. Apple lists the contents as the earbuds, a charging case and documentation. AirPods Pro 3, by contrast, ship with five silicone tip sizes. AirPods 5 keep the AirPods 4 shell, 30.2 x 18.3 x…

AirPods 5 Noise Cancellation Has No Decibel Figure: Every Number Apple Publishes Instead
News

AirPods 5 Noise Cancellation Has No Decibel Figure: Every Number Apple Publishes Instead

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Apple publishes no decibel figure for AirPods 5 noise cancellation. It publishes no frequency range, no attenuation curve, no test method and no noise source. The only number attached to the cancellation itself is a comparison: up to 1.5x more than AirPods 4 with ANC, or up to 50 percent more noise removed, depending on…

iPhone 18 Pro Display Resolution: 2622 x 1206 for a Third Generation, and 460 ppi Across the Lineup
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iPhone 18 Pro Display Resolution: 2622 x 1206 for a Third Generation, and 460 ppi Across the Lineup

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

The iPhone 18 Pro display is 2622 x 1206 at 460 pixels per inch, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 2868 x 1320 at the same 460 ppi. Neither set of numbers is new. Both carry over from the iPhone 17 Pro generation, and the 6.3-inch figures go back to the iPhone 16 Pro.…

AirPods 5 ANC: Why Apple’s ’50 Percent More Noise’ and ‘1.5x More ANC’ Are Not the Same Sentence
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AirPods 5 ANC: Why Apple's '50 Percent More Noise' and '1.5x More ANC' Are Not the Same Sentence

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Apple describes the AirPods 5 noise cancellation gain twice, in two different ways. The press release says the earbuds remove up to 50 percent more noise compared to AirPods 4 with ANC. The product page says up to 1.5x more Active Noise Cancellation than the previous generation. The arithmetic matches. The precision does not. AirPods…

AirPods 5 Noise Cancellation: Apple’s ‘Industry’s Best’ Claim Stops at Open-Ear Designs
News

AirPods 5 Noise Cancellation: Apple's 'Industry's Best' Claim Stops at Open-Ear Designs

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Apple’s press release for AirPods 5 is headlined “Apple introduces AirPods 5 with best-in-class open-ear Active Noise Cancellation,” and the product page states the same thing as “the industry’s best Active Noise Cancellation in an open-ear design.” The superlative is real, and it is fenced in by five words: in an open-ear design. AirPods 5…

Apple Watch Checkout: The Three Choices You Cannot Change Later, and the One You Can
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Apple Watch Checkout: The Three Choices You Cannot Change Later, and the One You Can

Mike Peterson · September 12, 2026

Ordering an Apple Watch commits you to three things you cannot change afterwards, and one you can change any time. Case size, case material and cellular are fixed at purchase. The band is not, and it is the only one of the four Apple has left unpriced. Ceramic Series 12 cases measure 43mm and 47mm…

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