Why the iPhone 17 is better than the iPhone 17 Pro - DTNS 5106

Plus more US-China TikTok drama unfolds, while China bashes Nvidia.

Starring Tom Merritt and Sarah Lane.

TOM: This is the Daily Tech News for Wednesday, September 17, 2025. We tell you what you need to know, follow up on the context of those stories and help each other understand.

SARAH: Today we tell you which iPhone to buy, and how many pounds of force you need to bend an iPhone Air.

I’m Tom Merritt,

I’m Sarah Lane.

TOM: Let’s start with what you need to know with the big story.

[[BIG STORY]]
[[SOLO story of the day. Basic details, monitor commentary and sound when possible.]]

"Kuo: OLED MacBook Pro to Feature Touch Screen Display - MacRumors"
"iOS 26 is finally here: Everything to know about the free iPhone software update"
"iPhone review summary request"
"You absolutely should not buy Apple’s iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack"
"Watch the iPhone Air survive 130 pounds of pressure in extreme bend test | Tom's Guide"
"AirPods Pro 3 Use Acoustic Seal Test for Optimizing Sound Quality and ANC - MacRumors"

The reviews are out for the new Apple products that will begin shipping at the end of the week. And product testers have begun putting the review units through the paces. Let's review some of the highlights of what they're saying.

For the iPhone line, most reviewers say the base model iPhone 17 is the best option for most people. It matches the Pro in many specs, but does not cost more than the base model iPhone 16 did. If you don't need the Telephoto lens (lossless zoom beyond 2X), the fastest performance of the A19 Pro chip (for editing or gaming), the faster USB connection or the extra 30 minutes of battery life, then you can get the iPhone 17 and have everything you need. The Pro and Pro Max do give you those perks, though, in exchange for a bigger, heavier phone and a higher price. The iPhone Pro Max can even go more than one day on a charge.

The iPhone Air has better battery life than people expected, but it still isn't as good as the 17 or the Pro models. It also gives up the UltraWide camera as well as the Telephoto. It also can't connect to mmWave 5G, which isn't as common as sub-6 but will slow you down in some cities. And it costs more than the 17. So the Air is for people who want the slim form factor above all.
Also, many people were concerned that the iPhone Air might bend, given how thin it is. Apple released a video of an iPhone Air being subjected to 130 pounds of pressure at its midpoint. It springs back and shows no sign of a lasting bend.

The iOS 26 reviews say what you might expect. If you have the newest phones, it works better. If you're worried about odd bugs and glitches, wait for the first patch. But overall it's an uneventful upgrade. The biggest complaint is about some menu options being moved a few taps away. Also simple and darker wallpapers work better with the transparent effect. Otherwise, you just need to use it for a week to get used to the changes and it'll work fine.

Apple Watches are praised for better battery life, better scratch resistance, and the option for 5G. They also didn't get a price increase.

The AirPods Pro 3 seemed to get rave reviews. Noise cancellation is significantly improved, as is fit and comfort, with 5 ear tip choices now. Apple has added an Acoustic Seal Test for the AirPods Pro 3, which tests your ear tip fit for sound quality and noise cancellation, an update to the previous Ear Fit test. The heart rate sensing was praised and the live translation got mixed reviews as it has some bugs and edge case quirks. Also the battery life is now reduced.

Lastly, Engadget has a headline that says "You absolutely should not buy Apple’s iPhone Air MagSafe battery pack." That's the one that magnetically attaches to the back of the thin new iPhone. Valentina Palladino wrote the article and argues that there are better options at lower prices than the $99 3,149 mAh battery. Anker offers a MagSafe powerbank that's 5,000mAh for $55 and charges faster at 25 W vs. 12W for the Apple one.

And, as is tradition with a new Apple product release, the news of the next product release gains more steam. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that the anticipated OLED version of the MacBook Pro will be a touchscreen. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has previously reported that an OLED MacBook Pro would come at the end of 2026 or early 2027.

SARAH: DTNS is made possible by you the listener. Thanks to
thatCharlieDude
Justin Zellers
Carmine Bailey
And raises from James and Laurent!

[[BREAK]]
[[PAUSE]]

TOM: There’s more we need to know today, let’s get to the briefs.

[[BRIEFS]]
[[3-9 more solo reads with sound to complete the day in tech news. These are informational with minor commentary.]]

"Microsoft, OpenAI Herald Trump’s UK Visit With Spending Pledges - Bloomberg"
"Microsoft trumps Google with $30 billion investment in the UK | The Verge"

SARAH: With the US president conducting a state visit to meet the King of the United Kingdom, as well as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, multiple US companies took the opportunity to announce planned investments in the UK. The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said that in total, US tech companies plan to spend £31 billion on artificial intelligence systems, quantum computing initiatives, and other projects. OpenAI will take its infrastructure project, called Stargate, to the UK, hosting around 60,000 of Nvidia’s latest Blackwell chips. Microsoft will spend £22 billion over four years on data center infrastructure as well. Nvidia will spend £11 billion. CoreWeave, Salesforce, Alphabet, and BlackRock also announced investments.

"Lyft, Waymo to Offer Driverless Rides in Nashville in 2026 - Bloomberg"

TOM: Waymo continues to expand its markets and its partners. Waymo will launch an autonomous car service in partnership with Lyft in Nashville, Tennessee, in the coming months, with rides opening to the public next year. Waymo now has operations underway in ten US cities, in partnership with Uber, Lyft, Avomo, and Avis.

"China says US TikTok deal a 'win-win', will review app's technology and IP transfers | Reuters"
"U.S. Investors, Trump Close In on TikTok Deal With China - WSJ"
"Trump Extends Deadline to Secure TikTok Deal Until December 16 - Bloomberg"

Sarah: Little by little, details are slipping out about the coming deal between China and the US to approve a change in ownership of TikTok operations in the US. The Wall Street Journal says Oracle will lead a consortium of investors, including Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz, to create a new US entity to operate the service. Chinese stakeholders would still own 20% of that new entity. Bytedance is owned mostly by non-Chinese investors, but about 20% of it is owned by employee shareholders and 20% by Bytedance's founders. The new US company would have a US-dominated board, and like companies in China often do, the US government would get to designate one of the board members. The US company would re-create the content recommendation algorithms, using tech licensed from Bytedance. US user data would continue to be kept on Oracle servers in Texas, as it is now. US users would need to get a new app. China called the framework for the deal a "win-win." The presidents of China and the US are scheduled to call each other to discuss and possibly finalize the deal on Friday. The US president signed an executive order extending non-enforcement of the law against the distribution of TikTok, until December 16th.

"China blocks sale of Nvidia AI chips - Ars Technica"
"China reportedly bans tech companies from buying NVIDIA's AI chips"
"Nvidia CEO disappointed after reports China has banned its AI chips"
"China Tech Stocks Jump as AI Boom Pushes Index to Four-Year High - Bloomberg"
"Alibaba AI Chip Effort Quickens With Big Client China Unicom - Bloomberg"
"China's largest chipmaker testing first homegrown immersion DUV litho tool — SMIC takes significant step on road to wafer fab equipment self-sufficiency | Tom's Hardware"

TOM: Meanwhile, the Cyberspace Administration of China has ordered Bytedance, Alibaba, and other companies to stop testing and cancel orders for Nvidia's RTX Pro 6000D. These are desktop chips, not data center chips like the H20, that are used to work on AI development as well as 3D rendering. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang told the BBC he is disappointed by the ban but said, "They have larger agendas to work out between China and the United States, and I’m understanding of that.” Meanwhile, China's Hang Seng Tech Index rose 4.2% to its highest level since November 2021, on surges for shares in Baidu, Alibaba, SMIC, and JD.com. Alibaba just signed China UNICOM as a customer for Alibaba's own T-head AI accelerator chips to be deployed in data centers. And SMIC announced it is testing one of China's first domestic immersion DUV lithography tools, made for 28 nm processes but capable of being adapted for 7 or 5 nm.

"Google's new open protocol secures AI agent transactions - and 60 companies already support it | ZDNET"
"Google's new Windows app show s Microsoft how desktop search should work"
"Google releases colorful rope wrist straps for Pixel phones [Gallery]"

SARAH: A few bits of Google news. Google's Agent Payments Protocol or AP2, launched with more than 60 organizations, including Accenture, Adobe, American Express, Coinbase, Confluent, Mastercard, Okta, PayPal, Salesforce, and 1Password. AP2 uses Mandates, cryptographically signed digital contracts that prove a user's intention to make purchases. Google also launched an experimental search app for Windows that can search your computer's hard drive, Google Drive, apps, and the Web. When installed, you can access it by using ALT+space. And Google is selling multicolored rope straps for Pixel phones. The Google Rope wristlet comes, black, green or blue.

"TCL’s new smart lock squeezes four unlocking methods into a door knob | The Verge"

TOM: TCL launched a smart lock that can be opened by fingerprint, PIN code, key or mobile app for $79. It lasts for 4 months on 4 AAA batteries. It's the first smart lock to pack all four unlocking options into one doorknob. It does not have wider smart home support, so no voice but it can set schedules and track users.

"Amazon Aims to Grow Ad Sales Further by Automating Creation - WSJ"

SARAH: And Amazon launched a chatbot for advertisers that can help them produce and distribute ad campaigns. It will be featured in Ad Console, which is part of the larger Amazon Ads platform.

[[PROMO]]

TOM: We do live streams! Catch them by becoming a subscriber at youtube.com/dailytechnewsshow.

[[BREAK]]
[[PAUSE]]

[[HELPING EACH OTHER UNDERSTAND]]
[[Short missives from people with experience. Could be written email or pre-recorded from the person.]]

SARAH: We end every episode of DTNS with some shared wisdom. Today Mohan shares what he heard when we talked about the robot antelope story with Dr. Niki yesterday.

TOM: Mohan writes:

OMG you said antelopes but in the intro I heard cantaloupes. Which I totally thought it was odd. Why would we need a robot cantaloupes?

[[DISCUSS]]

SARAH: What are you thinking about? Got some insight into a story? Share it with us feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com

TOM: Thanks to Mohan for contributing to today’s show. And thank YOU for being along for Daily Tech News Show. You can keep us in business by becoming a patron, at Patreon.com/dtns