Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max smartphones, which retain the overall design of their predecessors but receive a number of notable technical upgrades. Key additions include a camera with a variable aperture, the new A20 Pro processor, improved heat dissipation and longer battery life.
Both models are equipped with OLED displays: the iPhone 18 Pro has a 6.3‑inch screen, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max offers a 6.9‑inch panel. The smartphones are powered by the A20 Pro processor and come with 12 GB of RAM. The base configuration includes 256 GB of internal storage, and for the first time the Pro version is available with a 2 TB drive option, which was previously offered only for the Pro Max.
Apple is putting the spotlight on artificial intelligence capabilities: the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are “tuned” for Siri AI and ship straight out of the box with iOS 27. Among the highlighted features are Expressive Voices, improved speech recognition, the new Siri Mode in the camera, Spatial reframing, as well as Extend and Clean Up tools in the Photos app. The iOS 27 update for other devices is planned to roll out from 14 September.
The A20 Pro chip is designed with AI workloads in mind and, according to Apple, delivers a significant performance boost. The processor has a 6‑core CPU with two performance cores that are 20% faster and four efficiency cores. The 7‑core graphics unit promises up to 40% better performance, and the Neural Engine runs twice as fast as the previous generation. In addition, the A20 Pro integrates a second neural engine — 32 cores in total — doubling AI task processing power.
The chip also includes an N1 module for Wi‑Fi 7, Thread and Bluetooth 6 support, while the new C2 modem is claimed to improve mobile connectivity quality and reduce power consumption by around 15% compared with the previous C1X. For better heat dissipation, the A20 Pro is directly connected to a vapour chamber whose area is three times larger than in the iPhone 17 Pro. This is intended to provide up to 40% higher sustained performance under load.
The main change to the iPhone 18 Pro camera is the introduction of a variable aperture on the primary 48‑MP module. Above the lens sits a six‑blade iris that regulates the amount of light reaching the sensor. The system can operate automatically, adapting to lighting conditions, or in manual mode via the new Pro camera settings, where the user can choose from several aperture values, as well as adjust white balance, shutter speed and control exposure using a histogram.
The main camera array on both models includes three 48‑MP cameras: a primary, an ultra‑wide and a telephoto with 4x optical zoom. The front camera has an 18‑MP resolution. Time‑lapse mode supports recording at up to 4K with Dolby Vision HDR, while the Audio Mix feature uses new algorithms to better separate voice and music. You can also convert already‑shot footage into Cinematic Mode (up to 60 frames per second), and Photographic Styles have gained additional texture and grain controls.
New capabilities include Smart Tracking, which runs entirely on‑device and uses AI to track individual people in the frame, even if they temporarily move out of shot. Another feature is Apple Reference Image, which marks content altered using AI at the pixel level and allows you to view this information in the Photos app. Apple also claims support for the Synth ID standard to identify AI‑generated images from other devices.
The Dynamic Island cut‑out has been reduced in size, and the element can now display up to three activities at once. There was no mention during the presentation of under‑display Face ID.
Apple traditionally does not disclose the exact battery capacities, but notes that the batteries in the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have been redesigned and now offer a larger energy reserve. According to the company, the iPhone 18 Pro delivers up to 24 hours of use and up to 36 hours of video playback, bringing it close to last year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is rated for up to 30 hours of use and up to 45 hours of video playback.
Charging speeds have also increased: when using a 60 W power adapter, the smartphones can restore up to 50% charge in around 15 minutes. A five‑minute top‑up, according to Apple, can provide up to seven hours of video playback.
This year’s Pro models are more expensive: the starting price of the iPhone 18 Pro is 1,199 US dollars (or 2,099 Australian dollars), and the iPhone 18 Pro Max costs 1,299 US dollars (2,299 Australian dollars). That is 100 dollars more than the previous generation. The available colours are black, silver, glacier (light blue) and burgundy.
Pre‑orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max open on Saturday, 12 September, with official sales due to begin on 18 September. In the US, the Apple Upgrade programme offers monthly payments starting from 35 dollars, and trading in an iPhone 14 or newer can get you up to 1,200 dollars off.
A video overview of the new products is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZi0R_thP9M