You might have a hard time trying to get hold of one yourself for the foreseeable future, but the iPhone Duo has been in the hands of reviewers for a little while now. And while it is clearly a first-generation product, overall impressions of Apple's first foldable have been broadly very positive. One potential annoyance for anyone coming from another modern iPhone, however, is the lack of Face ID, with Apple instead opting to go back to Touch ID for the first time since 2022's iPhone SE. Most iPhone users will have been using Face ID since the iPhone X. In our own review we said the Touch ID solution here works accurately, but can take a bit longer to unlock the phone than you might expect, and according to reliable Apple insider Mark Gurman, the company is already looking at how it can bring its newer technology to the iPhone Duo's inevitable follow-up.

Versus Trending Now Say More Look Up In My Bag Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable @Home Mashable Selects Top creators, ranked Gift Ideas For Everyone On Your List Creator Playbook AI at School All Series You've got a week until launch. Haley Henschel is a Chicago-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable who reviews and finds deals on popular tech, from laptops to gaming consoles and VPNs. She has years of experience covering shopping holidays and can tell you what's actually worth buying on Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day. Her work has also explored the driving forces behind digital trends within the shopping sphere, from dupes to 12-foot skeletons . All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.

The first update to iOS 27 squashes a bug in which the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max would freeze or restart when you try to use Face ID. Lance Whitney is a technology journalist with an IT background. He's written for TechRepublic, PCMag, Macworld, and Time, among others, He also teaches classes in AI, cybersecurity, and social media. Apple has released its first update to iOS 27. The update fixes a bug that causes the 18 Pro and Pro Max to restart.

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When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. I tried to fool my Windows laptop's Face ID. Facial recognition on laptops has come a long way in the last decade. Long ago, I had an Android phone with an early facial recognition sign-in feature and someone could unlock my phone just by holding up a photo of me. Fast forward to 2025 and we have Windows Hello facial recognition sign-ins for PCs .

Apple is developing a smart doorbell and lock system that would use Face ID to unlock the door for known residents, Mark Gurman reports in the Power On newsletter. The face-scanning doorbell would connect to a smart deadbolt, which could include existing HomeKit-compatible third-party locks, according to Gurman. Or, Apple may "[team] up with a specific lock maker to offer a complete system on day one." It'll likely still be a while before we see the doorbell-lock system hit the market, though, if we see it at all. Gurman reports that it's in the early stages of development and wouldn't be ready until at least the end of next year.

Apple's upgraded MacBook Pro for 2024 gets a significant power boost with the M4 chip, double the memory as standard, even longer battery life and a price cut, ending the year on a high. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. The longstanding laptop line now starts at 1,599 ( 1,899/ 1,599/A 2,499), making it 100 or so cheaper than last year's M3 models. Though still an expensive, premium laptop, it comes with at least 16GB of RAM rather than 8GB, which was an upgrade worth paying extra for on previous models. The outside hasn't changed from its predecessor.

Apple today launched a new tool for iPhones to help reduce what a thief with your phone and passcode can access. The feature, called Stolen Device Protection, adds extra layers of protection to your iPhone when someone tries to access or change sensitive settings on your device. If someone tries to access passwords stored in Apple's keychain, for instance, they won't be able to unless they also use a fingerprint or the phone's face recognition to prove they're the legitimate owner. You don't need to look far to find stories of stolen phones. In London, a phone is stolen every six minutes.

Apple is set to add even more protection to the iPhone in the next iOS update, which will stop thieves from accessing smartphones with passcodes. Called'Stolen Device Protection,' the new setting promises to prevent cyber-criminals from locking iPhone users out of their Apple accounts or accessing any of their passwords stored in Apple's Keychain. If the feature detects an unknown location of the iPhone, it will require Apple's FaceID to unlock the device. Stolen Device Protection is set to roll out with Apple's iOS 17.3 but is currently being tested in beta. Apple is rolling out a new feature to protect its customers' passcodes, online banking access, private iCloud photos and videos, and everything else that a stolen, unlocked iPhone leaves vulnerable.