Make your pics pop!

In partnership with

I take a ton of iPhone photos and sometimes spend a fair amount of time tweaking them, trying to get them to look just right. However, I just discovered that I’m not truly taking advantage of all the iPhone’s built-in photo editing tools.

You can tweak your images in remarkable ways, quickly and easily, if you know how. This week’s featured story will give you the scoop on how to make even boring photos look like a million bucks.

Also in this edition of The Weekender:

With WWDC26 just over a week away, the rumors are absolutely flying. This week, we saw a startlingly complete glimpse of what iOS 27 will look like, plus leaks revealing the folding iPhone's form factor and the likely colors of this year’s iPhone Pros.
Here’s a great weekend project: Give your Mac a makeover so it looks exactly the way you like.
Apple might have put the Vision Pro on ice, but Cult of Mac contributor Graham Bower just bought one — and he’s thrilled! Better late than never …
Think your Mac gaming setup is up to snuff? Check out these.
Cult of Mac reviewers tackled not one but two pairs of Soundcore earbuds this week, as well as a comfort-focused Logitech mouse and a terrific new comedy/horror show on Apple TV.
And finally, let Cult of Mac Deals solve your storage problems, either with a heavily discounted portable SSD from SanDisk or a massive 10TB lifetime cloud storage plan.

Enjoy your weekend!

— Lewis Wallace, managing editor

Feature story

8 built-in editing tools to glow up your pictures on your iPhone

Who needs a computer or expensive software like Adobe Lightroom? You can edit pictures like a pro, right on your iPhone.

A message from HubSpot

Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.

Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.

Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.

Download the free guide

How-tos

6 ways to personalize your Mac and make it your own

You can match any aesthetic with a few tips and tricks.

How to add your ID to Apple Wallet

iPhone and Apple Watch users can add their passport to the Apple Wallet app — and in some states, their driver’s license.

5 tips for natural-looking, lo-fi pictures on your iPhone

If every picture you take looks boring and overprocessed, you can change your iPhone camera settings to take natural, lo-fi pictures.

News

Detailed iOS 27 renders show Siri's big makeover

Stellar new mockups preview the major Siri overhaul everyone expects Apple to unveil at the WWDC26 keynote.

Plus, more Apple rumors:

How AirPods Ultra could redefine premium earbuds

Here's what you need to know about Apple's upcoming AirPods Ultra, which could make the jump from audio to an advanced AI device.

Ferrari Luce is the Apple car we never got [Cult of Mac Podcast No. 22]

This week on the Cult of Mac podcast: The Ferrari Luce is the closest thing to an Apple car we'll ever see, thanks to Jony Ive's role.

They say Vision Pro is doomed, but I just bought one anyway

Is it weird that I just bought an Apple Vision Pro when everyone says the platform is dead? Maybe. But I have zero regrets.

Apple could silence most Magic Mouse criticism with one change

Apple could make the Magic Mouse even easier to charge with a design tweak.

A message from Wispr Flow

Your best prompts are the ones you'd never bother typing.

The detailed ones. The ones with examples and edge cases. Wispr Flow lets you speak them instead — clean, structured, ready to paste into any AI tool. Free on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.

Try Wispr Flow free

Deals

Check your blood pressure, and sync data to your iPhone, with this $25 device

The iHealth Track blood pressure monitor syncs to your phone, tracks trends, and gives you real health data at home.

If you think faster than you type, try this $50 Mac dictation app

You can talk instead of typing — faster, offline and privately — in any app on your Mac with the Voibe dictation app.

Plus, more software from Cult of Mac Deals:

Sick of cloud storage subscriptions? Grab a 2TB portable SSD at a steep discount.

The SanDisk Extreme is a pocket-size 2TB portable SSD that hits read speeds up to 1050 MB/s and write speeds up to 1000 MB/s.

Plus: Secure 10TB of cloud storage for life with one-time payment

Price drop: Unlock 20 top AIs for life for less than $60

Whether creating content or testing how different AIs handle prompts, ChatPlayground AI makes it easy and affordable to get the best results.

Reviews

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max: Great earbuds, extraordinary case [Review]

The earbuds are excellent, but the stellar case and its AI Note Taker steal the show.

Plus: Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro earbuds offer brilliant call clarity [Review]

3 reasons to watch ‘Widow's Bay’ on Apple TV

You might not know it, but you need heaps of absurd comedy in a stew of gothic New England horror.

New Logitech mouse does its best to be comfortable to use [Review]

We go hands-on with the Logitech M850 L mouse, the company's first with a palm cushion for added comfort during long work hours.

Setups

Best Mac gaming setups: From casual console companions to full-on battle stations

These top 15 gaming setups from the Cult of Mac archive track the rise of Apple silicon alongside great hybrid Mac-PC systems.