This is Rumor Replay, a weekly column at 9to5Mac offering a quick rundown of the most recent Apple product rumors, with analysis and commentary. Today: iPhone 18 display leaks, Siri’s Gemini tidbits, and iPhone Air 2 upgrades. Here are this week’s Apple rumors.
iPhone 18 lineup screen sizes, Dynamic Island plan
This week leaker Digital Chat Station shared an overview of what to expect from the iPhone 18 lineup’s displays.
The specs he shared match the exact screen dimensions of last year’s models. That means the iPhone 18, Air 2, 18 Pro, and 18 Pro Max will have the same screen sizes as their predecessors.
More interestingly, a new kind of display cutout is mentioned for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max only. Meanwhile, the iPhone 18 and Air 2 are expected to get the standard Dynamic Island design.
My takeaways
It may be reading too much into Digital Chat Station’s post, but his choice of language makes it seem like iPhone 18 Pro is getting more than just a “reduced Dynamic Island,” like some prior reporting has said.
Though I’m sure the Dynamic Island will live on in software, I’m hopeful that the new cutout could be more like the top-left hole-punch design that was originally reported by The Information. Something more radically new like that would further differentiate the Pro line.
Apple’s Gemini deal for Siri: All the little details
Following the official confirmation of Apple and Google’s new deal to power Siri with Gemini-based technology, The Information published a report offering new details.
Some standout tidbits include:
- “Apple can finetune Gemini on its own so that it responds to queries the way Apple prefers”
- “Siri will give more thorough conversational responses the way ChatGPT and Gemini do”
- “AI answers don’t include any branding related to Google or Gemini”
The report also says that some of Siri’s new features will launch this spring, but others won’t debut until the fall—though Apple will likely preview them at WWDC.
My takeaways
All of the details mentioned above are exactly what I would expect from the new Apple-Google partnership. Apple would never give Google total control of its AI assistant, and I’m sure it never considered crediting Gemini or Google explicitly with Siri responses.
I’m particularly excited about one standout detail relating to Apple Notes from the report. But I also have one concern: the report’s timeline details seem to indicate that some of the Siri upgrades promised back in 2024 still won’t be ready for iOS 26.4.
Some of the features will launch this spring. Others, including Siri’s ability to remember past conversations it had with a customer, or proactive features that could suggest they leave home to avoid traffic ahead of an airport pickup that’s listed on their Apple calendar, are expected to be announced at the company’s annual developer conference in June, this person said.
If the features promised for iOS 18 still don’t arrive until iOS 27, that’s not a great look for Apple.
iPhone Air 2 could get bigger battery due to display innovation
A new report from The Elec says that Apple is exploring using CoE technology for the iPhone Air 2’s display. This same tech is also expected for the iPhone Fold.
CoE would enable a thinner, brighter display. And while it’s possible Apple will use that advancement to enable an even thinner device, it’s also likely that the extra space will be dedicated to a larger battery.
My takeaways
I don’t know anyone who thinks the iPhone Air isn’t thin enough. And I’m pretty doubtful that Apple would make major changes to the Air’s existing design just for the sake of making it a bit thinner.
Instead, just like it’s reportedly doing with the iPhone 18 Pro, I suspect Apple plans to boost iPhone Air 2 battery life instead. Weight concerns aside, you can’t go wrong with a bigger battery.
What are your takeaways from this week’s Apple rumors? Let us know in the comments.
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