- Look out for the little blue ‘Hello’ signs in Apple Stores
- They should help test the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max cameras
- The new phones are now available for purchase in stores
The next time you go to an Apple Store, you should be able to see a small blue “Hello” sign somewhere, as per reports on social media – and the appearance of these small signs is apparently related to the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
As per MacRumors, the signs are there to help customers test the optical zoom capabilities of the new phones. Both models offer up to 8x optical zoom, so something specific for zooming will be helpful.
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have a variable aperture feature on one of their three rear cameras now, the optical zoom capabilities are actually the same as the iPhone 17 equivalents launched in September of last year.
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There are also new Pro controls on the latest phones, so settings for lens aperture, shutter speed and white balance can be adjusted shot by shot – something else you’ll want to test out at an Apple Store.
Now available
Starting today, all Apple stores have this hello sign in a place where they display iPhone camera zoom for customers pic.twitter.com/gpLv7CPaweSeptember 18, 2026
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max arrived in Apple stores on Friday, September 18, six days after pre-orders began. Prices for the handsets start at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099 and $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,299 respectively (for 256GB of storage).
New Apple CEO John Ternus made an appearance at the Apple Store in New York to help celebrate the increased availability of the flagship iPhones — as well as the Apple Watch Series 12, the Apple Watch Ultra 4, and the AirPods 5.
He did not mention anything about the new “hello” signs in the stores, but they were nevertheless seen by the customers. They look to be on higher shelves in fixtures, perhaps to exclude anyone who wants one as a souvenir.
And if you’re wondering where the iPhone 18 is and when you’ll be able to try it out, don’t panic — it’s rumored to be showing up around March time, alongside the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2.
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