Top Stories: iOS 18 Public Beta, HomePod Mini in New Midnight Color, and More

The public betas of iOS 18 and other upcoming major operating system updates are finally here! Apple has spent the past month refining the betas through developer testing, and it's now time to open them up for broader access ahead of a full public launch several months from now.

We also got a surprise hardware update this week, but it was one of the most minor updates imaginable – swapping out the Space Gray color of the HomePod mini for a new version in an extremely similar Midnight color. This week also saw us taking a look ahead at the upcoming iPhone 16 and Apple Watch lineups that should now be less than two months way, while we went hands-on with Samsung's new earbuds that have some striking similarities to Apple's AirPods Pro, so read on below for all the details!

Apple Releases First iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 Public Betas

The first public beta of iOS 18 is now available for the iPhone, allowing anyone to test the update for free. We recommend installing the beta on a secondary iPhone, rather than the one that you use daily, as there are often bugs and other issues with pre-release software.

How to Install the iOS 18 Public Beta

iOS 18 features more Home Screen and Control Center customization options, a completely redesigned Photos app, the ability to use any emoji as a Tapback in the Messages app, an option to lock apps behind Face ID or Touch ID, and much more. The tentpole feature of iOS 18 is Apple Intelligence, which is Apple's new suite of generative AI features coming to iPhone 15 Pro models and newer later this year.

Apple Releases HomePod Mini in New Midnight Color

Apple this week announced that the HomePod mini is now available in a new Midnight color, which replaces the Space Gray color previously offered.

There does not appear to be any other changes to the HomePod mini, which continues to start at $99 in the United States. In fact, Midnight looks nearly identical to Space Gray, so there is little reason for any existing HomePod mini owners to purchase the new color option.

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Apple's next-generation iPhone 16 series is just two months away from being unveiled, and there are already many rumors for the devices.

Earlier this week, we listed everything that we know about the iPhone 16 series based on leaked information, with one key change expected to be larger displays on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Plenty of other new features are expected, so check out the full list.

2024 Apple Watch Lineup: Key Changes We're Expecting

Alongside the iPhone 16 series later this year, we can expect the next-generation Apple Watch lineup, including so-called Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 models.

Earlier this week, we rounded up key changes to expect from the next Apple Watch lineup, including larger display sizes for some models. As is often the case, new health features like sleep apnea detection have also been rumored.

iOS 18 Passwords App: All the Features

iOS 18 features a standalone Passwords app from Apple that surfaces some of the iCloud Keychain functionality built into the Settings app on previous versions of iOS for more convenient access.

We recently shared a guide that highlights all of the features built into the Passwords app, which features a simpler layout compared to the previous iCloud Keychain section of the Settings app.

Apple's AirPods Pro 2 vs. Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro

Samsung last week introduced its latest earbuds, the Galaxy Buds3 Pro, which look quite a bit like Apple's AirPods Pro 2. Given the similarities, we thought we'd compare Samsung's new earbuds to the ‌AirPods Pro‌.

Check out our hands-on video that goes through the design similarities and differences, performance comparisons, and other features to get an idea of how they match head-to-head. Apple users will almost certainly want to stick with AirPods Pro while Android users would want to opt for the Galaxy Buds, but it's always good to see what the competition is up to.

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