Macworld

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. They retain the 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch screen sizes and aluminium unibody design introduced with the previous generation, but Apple has made substantial changes to the cameras, processor, cooling, battery life and connectivity.

The biggest camera upgrade is a new 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, which can automatically move between ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/4 depending on lighting and depth of field. Apple says the widest aperture delivers around 50% better low-light performance, while new Pro controls add manual aperture, shutter speed, white balance and histogram controls.

Inside is the A20 Pro, Apple’s first iPhone chip made using a 2nm process. It has a new six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, Dual 16-core Neural Engine and 50% more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro. A larger vapor chamber and new M-series-inspired chip packaging also improve heat dissipation, with Apple claiming up to 40% better sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro.

The other major changes are battery life of up to 36 hours on the Pro and 45 hours on the Pro Max, faster wired charging, the new Apple-designed C2 cellular modem, and a redesigned Dynamic Island capable of showing three Live Activities simultaneously. 

iPhone 18 Pro/Max vs iPhone 17 Pro/Max: Top 10 changes at a glance

The five biggest changes are the variable-aperture camera, A20 Pro, improved cooling, longer battery life and redesigned Dynamic Island/connectivity system. Here is an overview of what’s new compared to the previous generation.  

FeatureiPhone 18 Pro / Pro MaxiPhone 17 Pro / Pro MaxWhat’s changedMain camera48MP, variable ƒ/1.48–ƒ/4 aperture48MP, fixed apertureMajor new photographic controlProcessorA20 Pro, 2nmA19 ProNew manufacturing processGPU7-core, up to 40% faster6-coreSignificant graphics boostNeural EngineDual 16-core / 32 cores total16-coreAround 2x AI computeCoolingVapor chamber with 3x surface areaFirst-gen vapor chamberUp to 40% better sustained performancePro Max battery45 hours video39 hours+6 hoursPro batteryUp to 36 hours video on eSIM model33 hoursUp to +3 hoursWired charging50% in around 15 minutes50% in around 20 minutesFaster chargingModemApple C2Qualcomm modemApple-designed modem, lower power useDynamic IslandRedesigned, 3 Live ActivitiesPrevious design, up to 2More information displayed simultaneously

Apple has added a 2TB option to the smaller Pro for the first time, while retaining 256GB as the entry-level capacity.

iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Max release date: When will the new iPhones go on sale?

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max were announced on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.

Pre-orders start at 5 a.m. Pacific on Saturday, September 12. That’s 1pm in the U.K.

Both models will then go on sale on Friday, September 18, 2026 in more than 65 countries and regions. Another 20 countries will get the phones from September 25.

You will be able to buy the phones directly from Apple online or at Apple Stores, as well as through mobile networks and authorized Apple retailers. Apple sells unlocked iPhones directly through its website and stores.

iPhone 18 Pro/Max design: What does it look like?

This is the Burgundy variant (we think Deep Cherry was a much nicer name).


Apple

The iPhone 18 Pro retains the aluminium unibody introduced with the iPhone 17 Pro, as well as the Ceramic Shield on the rear and Ceramic Shield 2 over the display. The camera system remains arranged on the large raised plateau across the upper part of the rear casing.

Screen sizes are unchanged at 6.3 inches for the iPhone 18 Pro and 6.9 inches for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, both using Super Retina XDR OLED displays with ProMotion up to 120Hz.

Apple offers four finishes this year:

  • Burgundy 
  • Glacier
  • Silver
  • Black

That means Cosmic Orange and Deep Blue disappear, while black returns to the Pro line despite pre-launch reports suggesting it would not.

The pre-event leaks suggested the basic chassis dimensions would remain very close to the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, with the camera plateau rather than the body itself becoming thicker. 

The new iPhones share the same screen sizes and overall form as their predecessors, but both models are slightly heavier this time. 

  • iPhone 18 Pro dimensions: 150 x 71.9 x 8.75mm / 5.91 x 2.83 x 0.34 in
  • iPhone 18 Pro weight: 7.44 ounces / 211 grams (17 Pro was 7.27 ounces / 206 grams)
  • iPhone 18 Pro Max dimensions: 163.4 x 78 x 8.75mm / 6.43 x 3.07 x 0.34 in
  • iPhone 18 Pro Max weight: 8.78 ounces / 249 grams (17 Pro Max was 8.22 ounces / 233 grams)

Changes to the Dynamic Island

Apple has redesigned the Dynamic Island. Apple says new display technology creates additional usable space and allows the Dynamic Island to display up to three Live Activities at once, for example navigation, music and a sports score.

Apple has not announced fully under-display Face ID. Pre-launch reports suggested that one or more infrared Face ID components could move beneath the OLED panel, allowing the notch to shrink, but Apple hasn’t confirmed the underlying sensor arrangement.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max cameras: Are the cameras the same?

The iPhone 18 Pro cameras.


Apple

Both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max have the same three-camera rear system. The main change is not resolution—all three remain 48MP—but the new variable-aperture Main camera and new computational imaging pipeline.

The three most notable camera upgrades are:

  1. Variable aperture on the 48MP Main camera.
  2. A new Main camera sensor and imaging pipeline, improving low-light performance and detail.
  3. More extensive manual Pro controls, including aperture, shutter speed, white balance and histogram.

Rear cameras

CameraResolutionFocal lengthAperturePixel informationFusion Main48MP24mm / 48mm, 1x / 2xƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4 variable2.44μm quad-pixel / 1.22μm individualFusion Ultra Wide48MP13mm, 0.5x / macroƒ/2.21.4μm quad-pixel / 0.7μm individualFusion Telephoto48MP100mm / 200mm, 4x / 8xƒ/2.81.4μm quad-pixel / 0.7μm individual

The Main camera’s six-blade mechanical aperture can automatically open to ƒ/1.48 in low light or close as far as ƒ/4 for increased depth of field. Apple says the widest setting improves low-light performance by around 50%. Photographers can also select aperture manually.

Both Pro models also offer up to 8x optical-quality zoom from the Telephoto camera. Contrary to some earlier rumors, the variable-aperture camera is not exclusive to the Pro Max.

Front camera

Apple has retained the 18MP Center Stage front camera, rather than moving to the rumored 24MP sensor. It supports automatic reframing, Center Stage, ultra-stabilized video and Dual Capture.

The front camera remains visibly associated with the Dynamic Island. Apple has not announced an under-display selfie camera on the iPhone 18 Pro.

iPhone 18 Pro video changes

Frame rates: Cinematic effects can now be applied after shooting to ordinary videos captured at up to 60fps. The phones continue to offer 4K 120fps Dolby Vision for high-frame-rate shooting.

Time-lapse: Time-lapse receives a significant upgrade to 4K with Dolby Vision HDR.

Computational photography: Apple has introduced a new imaging pipeline, smart focus tracking, improved Clean Up, Spatial Reframing, an Extend tool and Photographic Styles 3, which adds texture and grain adjustments.

A20 Pro processor: How fast is it?

Apple has redesigned the iPhone chip.


Apple

Both the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max use Apple’s new A20 Pro processor.

It is manufactured using a 2-nanometer process, down from the 3nm-class process used for A19 Pro, giving Apple more scope to improve efficiency and transistor density.

The chip includes:

  • 6-core CPU
  • 7-core GPU
  • Neural Accelerators integrated into the CPU/GPU architecture
  • Dual 16-core Neural Engine, 32 cores in total
  • 50% more memory bandwidth than A19 Pro

Apple says the GPU is up to 40% faster than A19 Pro, while the Neural Engine offers roughly double the AI processing capability.

One particularly important change is the packaging. Inspired by Apple’s M-series Mac chips, A20 Pro places the processor die side-by-side with memory rather than stacking memory directly in the chip’s thermal path. This improves heat transfer and allows the processor to couple more directly to the vapor chamber.

That vapor chamber itself has three times the surface area of the iPhone 17 Pro’s system. Apple claims the combination delivers up to 40% better sustained performance, which should be most noticeable during gaming, video work and intensive on-device AI rather than ordinary web browsing and messaging.

RAM: How much memory does the iPhone 18 Pro/Max have?

Apple does not officially publish RAM capacities for iPhones, and its launch material does not specify a RAM figure.

Reports ahead of the event indicated 12GB of RAM, but importantly the iPhone 17 Pro was also widely reported to have 12GB. That means there may not be a capacity increase this generation.

The more important confirmed improvement is 50% higher memory bandwidth, which allows the A20 Pro, GPU and Neural Engine to access data faster.

That is particularly relevant to Apple Intelligence and Siri AI. Larger on-device AI models demand not only sufficient RAM but very high memory bandwidth, so Apple’s chip and packaging changes should allow more complex models to run locally and for longer without the same thermal constraints.

iPhone 18 Pro/Max connectivity options

C2 modem

One of the biggest changes is Apple’s C2 cellular modem, replacing the Qualcomm modem used in the previous Pro generation.

Apple says C2 delivers:

  • Faster upload performance than C1X
  • 15% lower energy consumption
  • AI-powered improvements to connection quality and reliability
  • mmWave support in the U.S.

This confirms a major rumor from before the launch.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Like the predecessors, the 2026 iPhones use Apple’s N1 wireless networking chip, supporting:

  • Wi-Fi 7
  • Bluetooth 6
  • Thread

Satellite

Emergency SOS via satellite, Messages via satellite, Roadside Assistance via satellite and Find My satellite functionality continue. Apple made no announcements about full satellite internet or ordinary 5G data delivered by satellite, despite pre-launch rumors suggesting such a capability could appear.

iPhone 18 Pro/Max Battery, MagSafe and charging: What’s changed?

Battery life is one of the most significant improvements.

Apple says eSIM-only models gain additional battery capacity because the space previously occupied by the physical SIM tray can be used for battery cells. Physical-SIM variants provide around two hours less video playback than equivalent eSIM-only models.

The improvement comes from a combination of larger batteries, the more efficient 2nm A20 Pro processor and lower-power C2 modem.

Apple rates eSIM-only models for up to:

ModeliPhone 18iPhone 17ImprovementPro36 hours video playback33 hoursUp to +3 hoursPro Max45 hours video playback39 hours+6 hours

Wired charging

Wired charging is faster. The iPhone 18 Pro can reach 50% in around 15 minutes, compared with around 20 minutes for the iPhone 17 Pro. Five minutes of wired charging can provide around seven hours of video playback on the Pro Max.

MagSafe and wireless charging

Wireless charging can reach 50% in around 30 minutes, which is broadly unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro generation. There is therefore a wired-charging speed improvement, but Apple hasn’t announced a comparable jump in MagSafe charging speed.

iPhone 18 Pro price: How much does it cost?

Apple has increased prices by $100 in the U.S. and £100 in the U.K.

The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199/£1,199, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299/£1,299. Both begin with 256GB of storage.

ModeliPhone 18 starting priceiPhone 17 starting priceChangeiPhone Pro$1,199/£1,199$1,099/£1,099+$100/£100iPhone Pro Max$1,299/£1,299$1,199/£1,199+$100/£100

Apple offers both models with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB. That means the entry-level storage remains 256GB rather than increasing again. The notable change is that 2TB is now available on both models; previously the iPhone 17 Pro topped out at 1TB while the Pro Max could be configured with 2TB.

The $100 increase is considerably smaller than some analyst predictions before launch. Those forecasts had pointed to sharply higher DRAM and NAND costs caused by the global memory shortage, with estimates that the cost of 12GB of DRAM alone could rise dramatically this year. That makes component and memory pricing a credible contributor to Apple’s increase, although Apple itself hasn’t attributed the higher price to any one component.

Should you buy the iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max? Which model should you choose?

Which one do you want?


Apple

The iPhone 18 Pro is a much stronger upgrade than the specifications initially suggest. The variable-aperture camera, A20 Pro, improved cooling, faster charging and better battery life all make meaningful differences, particularly for photography, gaming and intensive AI use. iPhone 17 Pro owners don’t need to rush to upgrade unless those features matter, but anyone coming from an iPhone 15 Pro or older will see a substantial jump. The 6.3-inch Pro is the better choice for most buyers because it has the same cameras and processor. Choose the Pro Max mainly if you want its larger display and class-leading 45-hour video battery life.