Give credit where credit is due: iOS 26 and its new Liquid Glass design will be available on the most recent iPhones, of course, but we can go back to 2020 and the iPhone SE 2nd edition. In detail, the update supports the following models:
- iPhone SE (2nd generation)
- iPhone 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max
- iPhone 12/12 mini/12 Pro/12 Pro Max
- iPhone 13/13 mini/13 Pro/13 Pro Max
- iPhone 14/14 Plus/14 Pro/14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15/15 Plus/15 Pro/15 Pro Max
- iPhone 16/16 Plus/16 Pro/16 Pro Max and iPhone 16e
The iPhone XS/XS Max and XR are therefore left out.
As for iPadOS 26, which promises to be particularly interesting for demanding users, the compatible tablets are those that already run iPadOS 18… or almost: the iPad 7 is excluded from the party. The supported models are as follows:
- iPad mini (5th generation or later)
- iPad (8th generation or later)
- iPad Air (3rd generation or better)
- iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation or better)
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or better)
Let's move on to macOS Tahoe 26, whose new features are limited to Liquid Glass and, still, some interesting improvements for Spotlight. Compatible Macs include:
- Mac Pro (2019 and later)
- Mac Studio (2022 and later)
- Mac mini (2020 or later)
- iMac (2020 or later)
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2020, 3 Thunderbolt 3 ports)
- 16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)
- MacBook Pro with Apple silicon
- MacBook with Apple silicon
Several Intel-based Macs have been removed from the list: 2019 iMac, iMac Pro, 2018 Mac mini, 2020 MacBook Air, and the 2018 and 2019 MacBook Pros. It's not unreasonable to assume that the upcoming macOS 27 will get rid of the remaining Intel-based Macs...
In the Apple Watch department, these models are compatible with watchOS 26:
- Apple Watch SE (2nd generation)
- Apple Watch Series 6/7/8/9/10
- Apple Watch Ultra 1/2
Let's finish with the fifth wheel of the carriage, tvOS 26, which will still be entitled to the Liquid Glass interface... but only on the 2nd generation Apple TV 4K! The operating system will still be offered to Apple TV HD.
The brave who want to get their hands dirty can get started tonight with the first developer beta! It's easy to download and install, but beware of teething bugs... Also remember that not all functions will be available on all devices. The new Apple Intelligence features are therefore reserved for the most recent models (with M1 chip or better for Macs and iPads, iPhone 15 or better).
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