Apple's new iPhones and Watches are better than the last ones | The Vergecast

《The Vergecast》播客，由高级测评员 Allison Johnson 和 Vy Song 主持，以独特的“双重角色”形式开始，两人都身兼主持和嘉宾。该期节目于2026年9月18日发布，重点是 Allison 对 iPhone 18 Pro 和 Pro Max 的测评，以及 Vy 对新款 Apple Watch Series 12（特别是“璀璨金”型号）的看法。 在深入主要话题之前，Josh Cajas 在2026年9月17日星期四介绍了“The Verge 90秒”新闻。头条新闻包括 Snap 价值2200美元的新款智能眼镜，经 The Verge 的 Jay Peters 测评，该眼镜支持增强现实游戏和 YouTube 观看。Snap 首席执行官 Evan Spiegel 旨在实现自然的人机交互，但 Peters 并不买账。来自 AI 研究人员（包括 Apollo Research 首席执行官 Marius Hapan）的警告，强调了 AI 安全领域的爆炸式发展，并提到 OpenAI 在7月份发生的“拥抱脸黑客事件”仅仅是“冰山一角”。Andrew Webster 测评了一部两个半小时的 AI 生成电影《奥德赛》，认为其“相当糟糕”。最后，Steve Wozniak 推出了一家在线商品店，出售 T 恤衫、500美元的登机箱以及“Woz 2019年份霞多丽葡萄酒”。 Allison Johnson 随后讨论了 iPhone 18 Pro 和 18 Pro Max。从外观上看，这两款手机与其前代产品 17 Pro 和 17 Pro Max 非常相似。主要区别包括主摄像头中新的机械式六叶片可变光圈、A20 Pro 芯片组、稍大的电池，以及预装 iOS 27（其中包含新的 Siri）。实际测试证实 18 Pro 的手机壳适用于 17 Pro 型号，这让 Vy 感到非常高兴，她更喜欢新的酒红色，而非之前的深蓝色。 可变光圈，“一项看起来很重大但实际上影响不大的技术”，允许镜头开口进行调整，从而控制进光量并影响景深。虽然可变光圈对于大型相机至关重要，但对于天生景深较深的微小智能手机传感器来说，其影响微乎其微。iPhone 18 Pro 的光圈范围从 F 1.48 到 F 4。Allison 指出，差异仅在极致特写中才能察觉，使得其对普通用户的益处不明显。人们对新的机械组件的耐用性提出了担忧，尽管该设计被宣传为“像人发一样薄如激光”。Allison 同意测评员 Antonio 的观点，即新的 F 1.48 镜头（能带来更多进光量，从而改善低光性能和加快夜间模式）是比可变光圈本身更显著的改进。 新的专业相机控制（白平衡、快门速度、手动对焦）现在已内置于原生 iPhone 相机应用中，尽管 Allison 发现图标“小得可怜”，这让用户脱离了“即时拍摄”的体验。这些控制以及其他可自定义选项，是 iOS 27 中 Pro 型号专属功能的一部分。 Siri AI 尽管“喜忧参半”，但显示出有希望的改进。通过访问系统信息，例如消息和电子邮件（索引需要数天），Siri 可以回答以前需要手动搜索才能解决的复杂查询。Vy 讲述了一个有用的例子：Siri 根据 CarPlay 中的一条短信更新了驾驶路线。然而，Allison 注意到 Genmoji 的提示过于激进，以及 Siri 倾向于根据无关紧要的对话建议转账。总的来说，Siri AI 正在获得信任和实用性，鼓励听众分享他们的经验。 关于升级，iPhone 18 Pro 起价为1199美元，Pro Max 起价为1299美元。Allison 建议，虽然提升不显著，但这些手机“显著更好”。她建议使用三年以上手机的用户考虑升级，否则去年的型号也是不错的选择。A20 处理器、更大的电池和略小的灵动岛（支持三个实时活动而非两个）也值得关注。 Vy 随后转向 Apple Watch Series 12，强调了其传感器阵列最显著的变化。新的“32瓣设计”电极和集中式光学传感器（光电二极管和发光二极管）提高了能效并减少了漏光。S11 芯片为新的 AI 功能配备了“安全飞地”。新颜色包括“璀璨金”和“深古铜色”（被描述为“闪亮的巧克力色”），并且“陶瓷材质回归”，因其份量感和耐用性而受到赞扬。Ultra 4 的电池续航也从42小时增加到50小时，并新增了扩展锻炼模式。 Series 12 上的“音频智能”AI 功能包括实时倒带（Live Rewind），它允许用户回溯15秒，并在手腕上查看转录文本（需手动激活，除非保存否则删除）。Siri 回顾（Siri Recap）提供对话的高级摘要，并允许用户设置手表何时进行监听的参数（例如，“仅在工作时”）。这两项功能目前均不可用。苹果通过一份白皮书强调隐私，声明不会录制原始音频；音频会被发送到“安全飞地”进行处理，然后立即删除。Siri 回顾生成的转录文本将不包含说话人归属。不太“令人毛骨悚然”的功能包括通过“智能叠放”小组件改进的 Shazam 识别，以及用于辅助功能的声纹识别（例如，检测门铃声）。Vy 对公众将如何看待这些功能表示好奇，并指出它们目前尚未推出，表明苹果正在谨慎地衡量公众意见。 健康功能也获得了更新。新的“准备分数”（1-10分制）结合了睡眠、活动和新的恢复心率变异性（HRV）指标，以评估每日压力和恢复情况，并在全天动态更新。Vy 解释说这对于运动员很有用，但强调个人也应该倾听自己的身体。重新设计的健康应用（将于今年晚些时候在所有支持 Apple Intelligence 的 iPhone 上推出）中将新增一个“长寿标签页”，其中包含一个“健康年龄”功能，根据生活方式因素比较生理年龄和实际年龄。Vy 强烈批评“健康年龄”是“一堆臭气熏天的废话”，认为尽管其旨在可视化积极生活方式改变的好处，但它可能对自我认知产生负面影响，并且不一定能指示真正的健康状况。 Vy 对 Apple Watch 的升级建议是：Series 10 或 11 用户可以等待，Series 9 用户也可以等待。拥有 Series 6 或更旧型号的用户到了该升级的时候，如果对 Series 12 的 AI 功能有所顾虑，也可以选择翻新的 Series 10 或 11。AI 音频功能是选择性开启的。Ultra 初代用户“被允许”在四年后升级，但 Ultra 2 和 3 用户应该暂缓，因为他们的设备“很好”，并且新传感器对他们来说并非至关重要。

The Vergecast, hosted by senior reviewers Allison Johnson and Vy Song, commenced with a unique "dual roles" format, where each served as both host and guest. The episode, published on September 18th, 2026, focused on Allison's review of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, and Vy's take on the new Apple Watch Series 12, specifically the "radiant gold" model. Before diving into the main topics, Josh Cajas presented "90 Seconds on The Verge" for Thursday, September 17th, 2026. Top news included Snap's new $2,200 smart glasses, tested by The Verge's Jay Peters, which allow augmented reality games and YouTube viewing. Snap CEO Evan Spiegel aims for natural human interaction, but Peters was unconvinced. Warnings from AI researchers, including Apollo Research CEO Marius Hapan, highlighted the explosive world of AI safety, mentioning OpenAI's "hugging face hack" in July as just the "tip of the iceberg." Andrew Webster reviewed a two-and-a-half-hour AI-generated "Odyssey" movie, deeming it "pretty bad." Finally, Steve Wozniak launched an online merch shop featuring t-shirts, $500 carry-on bags, and "Woz Chardonnay Vintage 2019." Allison Johnson then discussed the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Visually, the phones are very similar to their predecessors, the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. Key differences include a new mechanical, six-blade variable aperture in the main camera, the A20 Pro chipset, a slightly larger battery, and shipping with iOS 27, which includes a new Siri. A practical test confirmed 18 Pro cases fit 17 Pro models, much to Vy's delight, who admired the new burgundy color over the previous dark blue. The variable aperture, a "big deal that's actually a small deal," allows the lens opening to adjust, letting in more or less light and influencing depth of field. While variable apertures are crucial for larger cameras, their impact on tiny smartphone sensors, which inherently have a wide depth of field, is marginal. The iPhone 18 Pro's aperture ranges from F 1.48 to F four. Allison noted that differences were only noticeable in extreme close-ups, making its benefits subtle for the average user. Durability concerns were raised regarding the new mechanical component, though the design is touted as "laser-thin as a human hair." Allison agreed with reviewer Antonio that the new F 1.48 lens, which allows more light for better low-light performance and faster night mode, was a more significant improvement than the variable aperture itself. New pro camera controls (white balance, shutter speed, manual focus) are now baked into the native iPhone camera app, though Allison found the icons "teeny tiny," pulling users out of the "point and shoot" experience. These controls, along with other customizable options, are part of an iOS 27 feature available on Pro models. Siri AI, while a "mixed bag," showed promising improvements. With access to system information like messages and emails (indexing takes days), Siri can answer complex queries previously requiring manual searching. Vy recounted a useful instance where Siri updated driving directions based on a text in CarPlay. However, Allison noted aggressive Genmoji prompts and Siri's tendency to suggest sending money based on tangential conversations. Overall, Siri AI is gaining trust and usefulness, with listeners encouraged to share their experiences. For upgrades, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, and the Pro Max at $1,299. Allison advised that gains are marginal, but the phones are "drastically better." She blessed users with phones older than three years to consider upgrading, suggesting last year's model as a good deal otherwise. The A20 processor, larger battery, and slightly smaller dynamic island (allowing three live activities instead of two) were also noted. Vy then shifted to the Apple Watch Series 12, highlighting its most significant changes in the sensor array. The new "32 petal design" electrodes and concentrated optical sensors (photodiodes and light-emitting diodes) improve energy efficiency and reduce light leakage. The S11 chip features a "secure exclave" for new AI features. New colors include "radiant gold" and "dark bronze" (described as "shiny chocolate"), and "ceramic is back," praised for its heft and durability. The Ultra 4 also sees a battery bump to 50 hours, up from 42, with a new extended workout mode. The "audio intelligence" AI features on the Series 12 include Live Rewind, which allows users to go back 15 seconds in time and view a transcript on their wrist (manually activated, deleted unless saved). Siri Recap provides high-level summary notes of conversations, with user-set parameters for when the watch listens (e.g., "only at work"). Both features are not yet available. Apple emphasizes privacy with a white paper, stating no raw audio is recorded; it's sent to the "secure exclave," processed, and then immediately deleted. Transcripts generated by Siri Recap will not have speaker attribution. Less "creepy" features include improved Shazamming via a "smart stack" widget and sound recognition for accessibility (e.g., detecting a doorbell). Vy expressed curiosity about how the public would react to these features, noting their current unavailability suggests Apple is cautiously gauging opinion. Health features also received updates. A new "readiness score" (1-10 scale) combines sleep, activity, and the new recovery HRV metric to gauge daily stress and recovery, dynamically updating throughout the day. Vy explained this is useful for athletes but emphasized individuals should also listen to their bodies. A new "longevity tab" in the redesigned Health app (coming later in the year to any Apple Intelligence-supported iPhones) will feature a "health age," comparing physiological age to chronological age based on lifestyle factors. Vy strongly criticized "health age" as "a hot, stinking pile of bullshit," arguing that it can negatively impact self-perception and doesn't necessarily indicate true health, despite its intent to visualize the benefits of positive lifestyle changes. Vy's upgrade recommendations for Apple Watches: Series 10 or 11 users can wait, as can Series 9 users. Those with Series 6 or older are due for an upgrade, or can opt for a refurbished Series 10 or 11 if the AI features of the 12 are concerning. The AI audio features are opt-in. Ultra original users are "allowed" to upgrade after four years, but Ultra 2 and 3 owners should hold off, as their devices are "fine" and the new sensors aren't critical for them.