You don’t need a new phone with every Apple release

An iPhone with its lockscreen showing in between a blue cloth (left) and several toothpicks (right).

Photo: Connie Park

Every year, tech companies release new smartphones (like, ahem, Apple today) with appealing but nominal upgrades, enticing you to buy a fancier model of the thing you already own.

Our advice? You probably don’t need to replace your phone every year—or even every other year. No judgment if you want a shiny new device every now and then. But if you’re looking to hang onto the one you already own, save a few bucks, and reduce electronic waste, a few small hacks can make a big difference. Start with these six simple strategies, like updating your phone’s software and not charging it all the way to 100%.

How to make your phone last longer→

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Plus: Our expert takeaways from today’s Apple event

Photo: Apple

Today’s event brought announcements of new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. A few things our tech experts are particularly excited about:

The new iPhone 16 lineup comes with updated cameras and a side button that lets you snap photos and videos with one hand.
The new Apple Watch Series 10 has the “biggest wearable display” Apple has ever put in a watch—and is also the thinnest Apple Watch ever.
Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 will get a software update that adds hearing health features, like one that can reduce exposure to damaging environmental noise.

Plus: Many, many AI features are coming. Automated email summaries, photo library sorting, and better search functionality with Siri, to name a few. But you’ll have to wait to try these out—many of Apple’s high-profile AI features won’t roll out until later this fall.

Everything Apple announced today→

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Taking pictures of receipts? There’s a better way→

One last (apple) thing: The best way to peel ’em

A King Arthur Apple Peeler, Corer and Slicer in the middle of peeling a red apple with a few other apples in a stack nearby.

Photo: Marki Williams

But seriously, we’re on the brink of pie season. If you’ve ever made an apple pie and peeled your apples with anything but an old-fashioned apple peeler, we feel obligated to tell you: You’re doing it wrong. Absolutely nothing can peel, core, and slice apples as fast as this three-in-one rotary tool.

Even if you bake only one apple pie a year, you’ll want this apple peeler→

Plus: How to turn your old iPhone into an AI phone (and skip the upgrade).

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