Apple will release multiple head-mounted AR and VR products in 2027, according to respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities. An upgraded Vision Pro headset will also drop later this year, the report last week said.

There are three Vision series products currently in development, along with four pairs of smart glasses. A Ray-Ban Meta-style smart glasses product will see 3 million to 5 million shipments in 2027. Apple expects to ship more than 10 million AR/VR products in 2027, suggesting the company sees this as the next major consumer tech category.

However, later this year, according to the report, Apple will release the Vision Pro M5 Version, which will feature an upgrade from Apple’s M2 chip.

And in 2027, the report says Apple will release a lighter Vision Air that’ll feature a 40% reduction in weight and will be powered by the latest iPhone processor. A second-generation Vision Pro is slated for 2028 with a brand new and «significantly lighter» design at a lower price. On the smart glasses end, a mass market displayless pair of frames will see a 2027 release. For those wanting an XR experience, extended reality glasses with a built-in see-through color display will come out in 2028, and those will feature AI connectivity. 

Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Smart glasses market is continuing to grow

The global smart glasses market was valued at $1.93 billion in 2024 and is projected to rise to $8.26 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. It’s why many players in Big Tech are jumping in on creating the next generation of wearable technology. 

Meta, along with its Ray-Ban and Oakley-branded smart glasses, has shown off its Orion prototype, featuring a transparent display that can project information on the lens. 

Earlier this year, Google unveiled Android XR, its new AR and VR platform, along with glasses made in collaboration with Qualcomm and Samsung. Chipmaker Nvidia is also working on AI models to help the smart glasses experience. 

In this race, Meta has the most to gain since it doesn’t own a phone or computing platform and is largely beholden to rule changes from Apple, Microsoft and Google. However, gaining a footing in the AR and VR space could allow it to own both a hardware and software stack in smart glasses market. 

But Apple has massive brand loyalty, and entrance into this space would be a major threat to Meta’s current market dominance. At the moment, the Ray-Ban Meta glasses have sold 2 million units, and its Quest VR headset have also pushed 20 million units.

It’s your last call for Prime Day deals, and there are still plenty of massive savings on coveted items like laptops, TVs and mattresses. If you’ve been considering upgrading your gaming rig, we’ve spotted a great deal on a gaming monitor.

The Samsung 49-inch OLED G9 gaming monitor is currently 32% off while the deal lasts, which we expect will be sometime today. That’s $420 in savings for a curved, wide-display monitor that will have you immersed in every second of your gameplay.

The Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 is an impressive gaming monitor with an incredible 49-inch wide display. Its curved design offers a more engaging gaming experience, so you can lock in to your next mission or run. The QD-OLED display is quite literally built for gaming, with an exceptionally fast response time of just 0.03ms. Its 1440p resolution and G-Sync offer vivid images that pop and flow beautifully.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Want some other accessories to go along with this monitor? Check out the best Prime Day headphone deals. You’ll find a variety of amazing discounts, but many of them will end today.

Why this deal matters

Gaming monitors need to be able to respond quickly and offer high resolution, so they’re typically expensive. Saving $420 on a top gaming monitor brand is a big discount that doesn’t come along often. This behemoth of a monitor will take your gameplay up to the next level.

The reveal of the next iPhone 17 models is still two months away, but rumors of their features, looks and specs are in full bloom right now. Normally I’d wait to see what Apple actually announces, but several leaks about the iPhone 17 Pro Max in particular have caught my attention. And because now is when people start thinking about fall budgets and whether their current iPhone can make it until new ones are here, it seems like a good time to dive in. After all, two months is going to zip by faster than we think. (And this also reinforces that now is not the time to buy a new iPhone.)

What I’m seeing so far has me very interested indeed. Now I’m looking forward to September for more than simply cooler weather and hot beverages. Here’s a rundown of some of the features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro Max that I’m most curious about.

Making the case to go larger

The iPhone Pro Max models are tanks compared to the rest of the line — well, they’re not on the toughness level of the Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 Pro, so maybe they’re more like solid midsize SUVs. But they’re notable for their larger screens, bigger bodies and especially for having room for more of everything in an iPhone.

And that includes a larger battery. The Max models already have more battery space than other models, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max could end up being almost half a millimeter thicker, at 8.725 mm, according to a May post by 9to5Mac. Has anyone ever asked for a more bulky iPhone? Actually, yes, yes and yes.

Add the new Adaptive Power feature in iOS 26, which uses AI to distribute power more efficiently when demand is high, and we could see a boost in daily use before reaching for a charger. (Then again, Adaptive Power could be a software workaround that could mean longer life using the same physical battery size.)

If you’re already committed to carrying a larger iPhone, a tad more thickness and heft isn’t too much more to shoulder.

The back of the iPhone 17 Pro case is also rumored to shift the Apple logo down from its current perch. That doesn’t seem like a big functional change but it should help soothe folks who choose to add a clear MagSafe case, since the logo will be centered within the MagSafe area. You can’t say Apple doesn’t sweat the design details.

A new leak on X from Majin Bu purports to show an iPhone 17 Pro case, though it’s not clear whether that’s something assembled by hand to match rumored specs or is some iPhone knockoff.

There are also rumors that the iPhone lineup will include a new sky blue color, about which I have opinions.

Bring on all the camera upgrades

We can’t talk about the case without mentioning the camera bump, which could become a more expansive camera island (or maybe on the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max, it will be more like a camera continent) that stretches across the width of the iPhone back, according to CAD renders by Majin Bu.

That expanse may include an upgraded 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which feels overdue for a top-tier camera system. Granted, it will probably take extra steps to capture photos in the full 48-megapixel resolution, as is the case with the current main Fusion camera in the iPhone 16 Pro models, where images are «pixel-binned» with multiple pixels grouped together to enhance light gathering ability. But given the great results we’ve seen from the 48-megapixel camera in the current models — the iPhone 16E leans heavily on that resolution using its sole rear-facing camera — extending it to the telephoto camera would definitely be a win for photographers.

Speaking of resolution, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera is expected, up from 12 megapixels, so perhaps my selfies will look better. More likely, it’s to boost the next rumored feature.

Video recording makes a leap

Cameras on both sides will reportedly work together with dual video recording using the built-in Camera app, a boon for conducting interviews or making reaction videos where you want to see both sides of a conversation. Third-party apps have been able to tap into this capability for some time, but haven’t been available as a default option.

Not as important for everyday use, but interesting in terms of advancing the state of the art, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could support 8K video recording, as speculated by MacRumors after reports that 8K was tested for the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone is swiftly turning into a production video camera, from features such as 28 Years Later to custom cameras built from iPhone tech in the F1 movie.

An improved cooling system

Recording video in 4K resolution, much less 8K, is a demanding, power-hungry task that leads to heat build up. In already warm environments, it can even overheat the iPhone and temporarily shut it down. So the prospect of a new internal cooling architecture, while being invisible to iPhone owners, has me nerding out just a little.

According to Majin Bu and others, the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a «vapor chamber» cooling system. As the processor heats up, a small amount of liquid in the chamber evaporates and condenses in cooler areas, then gets passed back to the hot areas.

Wi-Fi 7 and fast cellular via a new Apple modem

This is more geeky and less obvious to everyday phone owners, but that’s also kind of the point. The iPhone 16E shipped with Apple’s C1 cellular modem, Apple’s first homebrew cellular hardware it has been trying to build in order to wean its dependence on Qualcomm, which has provided the modem hardware in previous iPhone models.

However, the C1 lacks a faster millimeter wave cellular network and does not support Wi-Fi 7, even though it’s more conservative about power usage (and still performs well), an acceptable tradeoff for the budget phone in Apple’s lineup.

But for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, we’re talking about the next professional models, and an iPhone Pro in 2025 can’t ship without the latest, fastest wireless technology. It would be more realistic to see Apple stick with Qualcomm for the Pro line than include the C1 — but I suspect a C2 is coming.

According to MacRumors, the Wi-Fi 7 compatibility could be provided by a separate dedicated chip designed by Apple.

These aren’t the only iPhone 17 Pro rumors we’re tracking, but right now they’re the ones that have me looking at my calendar and wishing September could arrive just a little faster.