Apple today released watchOS 11.6.2 for the Apple Watch Series 6 through Series 10, Apple Watch SE 2, and Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2.


"This update provides important bug fixes and is recommended for all users," says Apple.

watchOS 11.6.2 will only appear on Apple Watch models that have not already been updated to watchOS 26 or later. There are no specific details available yet beyond Apple's vague release notes, so it is unclear what exactly the update includes.

Update: Apple says watchOS 11.6.2 "addresses a cellular network issue for Series 6, Series 7, Series 8, Series 9, Series 10, SE 2, Ultra, and Ultra 2 when establishing a connection to emergency services in Australia."
This article, "Apple Releases watchOS 11.6.2 With an Important Fix" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Japanese blog Mac Otakara today shared some alleged details about the iPhone 17e and iPad 12, which are both expected to be released within the next few months.


In February 2025, Apple discontinued the iPhone SE and released a new entry-level iPhone 16e. The device features a 6.1-inch OLED display, an A18 chip, Apple Intelligence, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, an Action button, a USB-C port, and more. The iPhone 17e would be the follow-up, spec-bumped model.

According to the report, which cites "reliable sources," the iPhone 17e will have a similar overall design as the iPhone 16e. While some previous rumors indicated that the iPhone 17e would have a Dynamic Island, the report said this information is not true and that the device will continue to have a notch like the iPhone 16e.

The publication expects three key upgrades for the iPhone 17e:

• A19 chip: This one is no big surprise, but the iPhone 17e is expected to be powered by Apple's A19 chip, up from the A18 chip in the iPhone 16e. This upgrade will result in faster performance and power efficiency improvements.


• C1X modem: Apple says its second-generation C1X modem for 5G and LTE is up to twice as fast as its first-generation C1 modem in the iPhone 16e. Apple also says the C1X is the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone to date.


• N1 chip: Like the iPhone Air, the report said the iPhone 17e will be equipped with Apple's N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread. In the iPhone Air, the N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6, and Apple says the chip improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

As for the iPad 12, the report said that device will likely have a similar design as the iPad 11, but with a newer A18 chip that supports Apple Intelligence. That means the iPad 12 would have 8GB of RAM, up from 6GB in the iPad 11.


A separate report from Macwelt, available in English on Macworld, cites a source who said that Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e with a press release on an unusual date: Thursday, February 19. The publication agreed that the iPhone 17e will not have a Dynamic Island, but they do expect the device to feature MagSafe, as previously rumored.

• MagSafe: Unlike the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17e will reportedly feature MagSafe for up to 20W-25W magnetic wireless charging. The iPhone 16e is limited to Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W speeds. You would also be able to magnetically attach accessories like Apple's MagSafe Wallet to the back of the iPhone 17e.

Macwelt added that the iPhone 17e will still have a single rear camera.

Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil new products on a Thursday, but anything is possible.

No other major changes have been rumored so far, so the iPhone 17e's overall design and other specs should be similar to the iPhone 16e. In the U.S., the iPhone 16e starts at $599, but there is no word yet on how much the iPhone 17e will cost.
This article, "iPhone 17e and iPad 12 Features and Release Date Rumors Surface in Two New Reports" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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A broad new smartphone test has found that Apple devices lead the industry for battery life, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max ranking as the longest-lasting phone tested and Apple tied as the top overall brand.


CNET this week published the results of a large-scale battery-life comparison based on testing conducted throughout 2025 across 35 smartphones sold in the United States. According to the report, Apple and OnePlus ranked as the two brands with the strongest battery performance overall, based on averaged results from multiple battery benchmarks.

The top-performing individual device in the testing was Apple's ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max, which finished first overall despite not having the largest battery capacity among the tested phones. It has a battery capacity of 5,088 mAh, and its extended battery life is largely attributed to silicon efficiency and software optimization.

The iPhone 17 tied for second place alongside the OnePlus 15. The ‌iPhone 17‌ achieved this ranking despite having the smallest battery capacity among the top-performing phones. The Poco F7 Ultra placed third, while the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ placed fourth in the overall rankings.

CNET's methodology included standardized tests using two benchmarks designed to minimize real-world variability. The first involved streaming video over Wi-Fi at full brightness for three hours, while the second was a 45-minute endurance test that included gaming, video streaming, social media scrolling, and a video call. Results from both tests were averaged to determine final rankings.

The ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max again ranked first in the endurance benchmark, followed by the ‌iPhone 17‌, ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌, and iPhone 16e. The publication noted that Google's Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold also performed well in this specific test, along with Motorola's Razr.

The experiment also compared battery life across smartphone brands by averaging results from companies for which at least three models were tested. Apple and OnePlus ranked first and second respectively in overall brand battery performance. Motorola and Samsung followed in third and fourth place, while Google ranked fifth.
This article, "iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Android Battery Life: New Test Reveals Winner" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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