Apple has officially introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, focusing on significant camera hardware changes, a shift to a 2-nanometer processor, and enhanced internal cooling.
The primary hardware update is the 48-megapixel main camera, which now features a mechanical variable aperture.
Using a six-blade system, the lens can physically adjust between f/1.48 for low-light situations and f/4.0 for a wider depth of field.
This allows for optical adjustments to light and focus rather than relying entirely on software processing.
To accompany this, Apple is updating the default iOS camera app with manual controls, allowing users to adjust shutter speed and white balance, and view a live histogram.
Apple is also introducing a feature called Apple Reference Image.
When enabled, the camera signs the sensor data at the moment of capture, creating an unalterable reference file.
This is designed to help users and platforms verify whether a photo is an original, unedited shot or if it has been altered or generated by AI.
Performance and internals
Internally, the phones are powered by the A20 Pro chip, manufactured on a 2-nanometer process.
It includes a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and a 32-core Neural Engine for on-device AI tasks.
Apple has also redesigned the internal cooling system.
The chip now attaches directly to a vapor chamber that has three times the surface area of the one used in the iPhone 17 Pro, which should help maintain performance during sustained workloads without overheating.
The phones will ship with iOS 27, which includes an updated version of the company’s voice assistant, branded as Siri AI.
The software is designed to read on-screen context and pull data from across different apps.
Additionally, the Dynamic Island interface has been adjusted to display up to three Live Activities simultaneously.
For connectivity, the devices support Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and use a new Apple-designed C2 cellular modem.
In the US and several other regions, the phones will be eSIM-only.
Apple says that removing the physical SIM tray allowed them to increase the battery size, giving the Pro Max an estimated 45 hours of video playback.
Pricing and availability
The new models come with a price increase over previous generations.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199, and the Pro Max starts at $1,299.
Both base models include 256GB of storage, with higher capacity options available at 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
Color options are black, silver, glacier, and burgundy.
Pre-orders begin on September 12, with general availability on September 18.
