Apple Just Announced the IPhone 18 Pro and IPhone 18 Pro Max.
The iPhone Duo will inevitably be the center of tech news this week. After all, Apple has finally released a foldable iPhone to compete with offerings from Samsung and Google. But while a dual-display iPhone is new and exciting, it will also be expensive. I suspect many new iPhone buyers won’t be interested in spending more than $2,000. There will also likely be customers who don’t need a foldable iPhone and prefer the standard smartphone design they’re accustomed to. That’s where the iPhone 18 Pro comes in.
iPhone 18 Pro: Design
If you have an iPhone 17 Pro, you might confuse it with the iPhone 18 Pro. Indeed, Apple hasn’t changed the overall design much this year, which is to be expected. The iPhone 17 Pro updated the iPhone Pro design with a large camera bump and a glass back panel for MagSafe charging. The 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max aren’t much different, although the metal body now matches the color of the glass back.
However, upon closer inspection, you might notice some changes. Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice is that the Dynamic Home Island on the 18 Pro is smaller than on previous iPhone Pro models. This allows you to run three tasks at once instead of two. This can be useful depending on what you’re doing, or it can clutter the top of your iPhone. 18 Pro users will have to judge for themselves. You’ll also notice several new color options not available on the iPhone 17 Pro, which I’ll discuss below.
The display sizes will remain the same as last year—6.3 inches for the iPhone 18 Pro and 6.9 inches for the iPhone 18 Pro Max. However, these displays now use more efficient LPTO+ technology.
iPhone 18 Pro: Processor
Like the iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro features the new Apple A20 Pro chip, built on a 2nm process. The company claims the new chip is ideal for on-device AI processing, thanks to a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, new neural accelerators, and a second neural engine. In the 18 Pro, Apple focused on cooling the A20 Pro using a new vapor chamber. According to Apple, this delivers a significant and sustained performance boost over the iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple claims this chip has the fastest processor in a smartphone, as well as 50% greater memory bandwidth. But as with all performance claims, we’ll have to wait until testers actually put the A20 Pro through its paces. That said, Apple’s latest chips always offer some improvement over the previous generation, so it’s safe to say the 18 Pro (and the Duo included) will be the fastest iPhones to date.
Apple also claims the iPhone 18 Pro offers 36 hours of battery life when streaming video, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max offers 45 hours. The company claims that a five-minute charge provides six hours of video playback.
iPhone 18 Pro: Cameras
Perhaps the most significant change in the iPhone 18 Pro this year is the cameras. Apple’s high-end iPhones are known for their cameras, but with the 18 Pro, the company has raised the bar even higher. For the first time, these iPhones feature variable aperture. When using the main 48-megapixel camera, your iPhone can physically open and close the aperture to control the amount of light reaching the sensor—up to 50% more light than before. This has two benefits: in low-light conditions, you can let in more light than usual. You can also use the aperture to control depth of field, or background blur. A larger aperture (more light) means a blurrier background, while a smaller aperture (less light) means a cleaner background.
Apple also introduced Pro Controls, a feature that was sorely missing from the iPhone. You can now control white balance and exposure, as well as check the histogram. This mode works for both photos and videos. A new “smart focus tracking” feature has been added, using AI to maintain focus on a subject. Photo styles have received additional improvements and controls, and the slow-motion feature now supports 4K. With the 18 Pro, Apple is introducing a “reference” feature that ensures the original photo is confirmed during subsequent AI editing. Apple calls this a “digital negative.”
iPhone 18 Pro: Colors
As mentioned, the iPhone 18 Pro’s color options are perhaps one of the most recognizable “new” features of this generation. Apple offers burgundy, ice, and silver, though the first two are perhaps the most distinctive. However, this is a greater variety than the Duo model.
iPhone 18 Pro: Price
Everything is getting more expensive thanks to RAMaggedon , and the iPhone 18 Pro is no exception. This year, Apple is raising the starting price to $1,199 for the 256GB model, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 for the 256GB variant.
iPhone 18 Pro release date
Apple says pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro will begin on Saturday, September 12, at 12:00 AM PT (3:00 AM ET). Sales will begin on Friday, September 18.