In the news: “iPhone Ultra” and Apple TV rumors, iOS 27 Beta 3 and more

Apple’s annual iPhone event is just two months away, but we still don’t know exactly when and in what quantities the new foldable “iPhone Ultra” will be available. It looks like we might find ourselves in a similar situation to the iPhone

Other news this week included a third round of developer betas for iOS 27 and related updates, new iPhone 18 Pro rumors, a recap of what’s going on with the next-gen Apple TV, and more, so read on below for all the details!

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‘iPhone Ultra’ likely to ‘repeat iPhone X history’ with delayed launch

Apple will likely “repeat iPhone

Kuo said this week that manufacturing problems had limited initial production of the foldable iPhone, which would be called iPhone Ultra. As a result, he believes the device could launch at some point after the iPhone 18 Pro models.

In 2017, Apple unveiled the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X on September 12. Pre-orders for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus began three days later, while pre-orders for the iPhone X began six weeks later on Friday, October 27. Likewise, Kuo believes the foldable iPhone might not be available for pre-order until the fourth quarter of 2026.

It’s all coming to the Apple TV 4K 2026

The Apple TV 4K hasn’t been updated since 2022 and needs a refresh. An update is planned for 2026, but Apple will likely wait to release it until Siri AI launches in iOS 27.

Check out our rundown of everything we’re expecting for the next iteration of Apple’s set-top box, from specs and feature support to pricing and launch date.

Everything new in iOS 27 Beta 3

Apple continues to refine iOS 27 ahead of its planned September launch, and the third developer beta released this week includes several new features. Siri is more customizable, there’s a fun new wallpaper action, and useful improvements to photos and shortcuts.

On the Mac side, the new macOS beta includes some awesome new Golden Gate-themed wallpapers that can also double as screensavers.

Public betas of upcoming releases will be available this month.

Apple Intelligence Home features require 2TB iCloud+ plan in iOS 27

According to Apple, using the Apple Intelligence camera features in the Home app will require an iCloud+ plan starting at 2TB.

In iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate, the Home app is capable of generating written summaries for motion alerts from HomeKit Secure Video cameras. It is also capable of grouping images from separate cameras for insight into activity and extracting notable recordings, and it supports natural language search.

Apple said at WWDC that some ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features would require an ‌iCloud‌+ plan, but it did not specify what tier users would need to subscribe to. For Home features, users will need the $9.99/month ‌iCloud‌+ plan of 2TB or better.

iPhone 18 Pro battery capacities revealed by regulatory documents

New Chinese regulatory certification filings appear to confirm the battery capacities of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max models.

According to filings in China’s C3 database, spotted earlier this week by the leaker known as “Digital Chat Station” on Weibo, the iPhone 18 Pro is apparently rated at 4,056 mAh in China and 4,288 mAh in the US, up modestly from the iPhone 17 Pro’s 3,988 mAh and 4,252 mAh. The ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max shows a bigger jump, rated at 5,391 mAh in China and 5,567 mAh in the US, compared to 4,823 mAh and 5,088 mAh on the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, an increase of almost 500 mAh.

The foldable “iPhone Ultra” is said to feature two battery cells with capacities of 1,921 mAh and 2,962 mAh, for a combined minimum rated capacity of 4,883 mAh.

When is Apple’s 2026 back-to-school offer?

It’s now July and we’re still waiting for Apple to launch its annual back-to-school deal in countries like the US and Canada – if it ever happens at all. In the United States, Apple launched its Back to School offering in June from 2020 to 2025, but it waited until July in the more distant past.

Last year, students and education staff could receive a free accessory like AirPods 4 or an Apple Pencil Pro with the purchase of an eligible Mac or iPad model. It’s unclear exactly what Apple plans to offer this year, but given that the company recently raised prices on all Macs and iPads, this year’s promotion would be rather bittersweet.

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