For years, iPhone cameras had one fixed aperture – take it or leave it. That changes with the iPhone 18 Pro. A six-blade mechanism and a redesigned sensor now let you dial the aperture up or down – ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, ƒ/4.0 – shaping how much light pours in and how the background falls away behind your subject. Even nighttime shots benefit from the extra flexibility.
New texture styles and cinematic effects are now available for video captured at up to 60fps. Time-lapse recording has been upgraded to support 4K and Dolby Vision HDR. Apple has also reworked the Dynamic Island to accommodate up to three simultaneous Live Activities without compromising Face ID functionality.
Following Google and other developers, Apple is also working on a way to watermark AI-edited photos and verify original ones. Its new Apple Reference Image feature saves a duplicate of each photo using cloud-processed, signed sensor data that can’t be edited. Users can then compare this reference copy to their regular one to check whether anything was altered.
A new API will also let third-party apps access these reference images, though it’s still unclear how well the system will hold up against fast-evolving AI editing tools.
This year’s iPhone also comes with a smaller, more efficient chip. The A20 Pro is built on TSMC’s new 2-nanometer process, offering 50% more memory bandwidth and 40% better GPU performance than the A19 Pro in last year’s iPhone 17 Pro. It also includes a dual 16-core Neural Engine, which improves photography and AI capabilities, powering both the iPhone 18’s new camera features and Siri’s AI upgrades in iOS 27.
On the thermal side, a redesigned vapor chamber delivers a 40% improvement in heat dissipation. Battery capacity has been reworked too, pushing the iPhone 18 Pro to a maximum of 36 hours and the Pro Max to 45 hours. Charging speeds remain strong on the standard model, reaching 50% in roughly 15 minutes wired or 30 minutes wirelessly.
Buyers can choose from 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or a newly added 2TB option. The lineup comes in four colors: burgundy, glacier, silver, and black.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max open on September 12, with availability beginning September 18, starting at $1,199. As previously rumored, Apple seems to have delayed the standard iPhone 18 until next year.
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