Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max launch with a familiar design, new A20 Pro SoC, and aperture-controlled camera

[Daniel Sims]

Through the looking glass: A new camera with the first-ever aperture controls on an iPhone is the main star of this year's iPhone presentation. With the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple is introducing a more versatile camera, more powerful photo-customization software, and yet another tech giant's attempt to distinguish authentic images from AI-generated creations.

Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and 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.

The iPhone 18 Pro is the first iPhone to support aperture control. With six blades and a new sensor, users can smoothly switch between ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0 apertures to control lighting and depth of field, as well as enhance low-light photography.

Users can also apply new texture styles and cinematic effects to videos recorded at up to 60fps. Additionally, time-lapse mode now supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR recording. Meanwhile, the new iPhone adjusts the Dynamic Island to show up to three Live Activities simultaneously while still enabling Face ID.

Like Google and other developers, Apple also aims to provide a tool for watermarking AI-edited photos and verifying unaltered images. Apple Reference Image creates a duplicate of each new photo with cloud-processed, signed sensor data to prevent editing. Users can compare it with the copy they normally use to check for changes. A new API also makes reference images available to third-party apps, but the feature's resilience against ever-evolving AI tools in the wild remains untested.

The processor in this year's iPhone also receives another die shrink. The A20 Pro features TSMC's new 2-nanometer process, increasing memory bandwidth by 50% and GPU performance by 40% over the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro. A new dual 16-core Neural Engine also enhances photography and AI performance, powering the iPhone 18's new photo features and iOS 27's AI-powered Siri.

A new vapor chamber improves thermal performance by 40%, while a new battery design extends the iPhone 18 Pro's maximum battery life to 36 hours and the iPhone 18 Pro Max's to 45 hours. The standard model can charge to 50% in approximately 15 minutes via a wired connection or 30 minutes wirelessly.

Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and a new 2TB tier. Available colors include burgundy, glacier, silver, and black.

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Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max launch with a familiar design, new A20 Pro SoC, and aperture-controlled camera

 

[Squid Surprise]

No new Apple TV…. Boooooo…

 

[Anton Longshot]

I'm mildly disappointed that the iPhone 18 won't arrive until next year.
Because that means there won't be a price drop before I'm getting the 17 later this month.
Oh well I'll probably survive hehe
Not interested in the 18 so I'm saving money anyway.

 

[Megalomaniac]

$3200 Duo 2TB

Ain’t happening!

Where is the standard iPhone 18?

 

[zaku49]

No new Apple TV…. Boooooo…

That might come next month.

 

[yRaz]

I'm mildly disappointed that the iPhone 18 won't arrive until next year.
Because that means there won't be a price drop before I'm getting the 17 later this month.
Oh well I'll probably survive hehe
Not interested in the 18 so I'm saving money anyway.

There is always the option to wait for a price drop. I've been buying refurbished devices for years. The last "new" device I bought was a lumia 1520 and that was really just an insurance trade in.

 

[baN893]

Completely underwhelmed with the new 18 Pro. I see no reason why I would upgrade from my 15 Pro. All I'd get for nearly 1.5k, is a new battery, a camera button I heard is weird to use, double the neural processing units, and a whole bunch of camera/aperture settings that I won't use. Yawn. Not a good start for the new CEO. I suspect a significant dip in people upgrading.
Also, wtf is with the Duo. That's all they could muster?

 

[BabyFaceLee]

Completely underwhelmed with the new 18 Pro. I see no reason why I would upgrade from my 15 Pro. All I'd get for nearly 1.5k, is a new battery, a camera button I heard is weird to use, double the neural processing units, and a whole bunch of camera/aperture settings that I won't use. Yawn. Not a good start for the new CEO. I suspect a significant dip in people upgrading.
Also, wtf is with the Duo. That's all they could muster?

The days of significant updates to the majority of smartphones are behind us now. The Duo is a significantly different new device for Apple but you're disregarding it so what exactly were you expecting?

 

[Squid Surprise]

That might come next month.

Hope so!

Completely underwhelmed with the new 18 Pro. I see no reason why I would upgrade from my 15 Pro. All I'd get for nearly 1.5k, is a new battery, a camera button I heard is weird to use, double the neural processing units, and a whole bunch of camera/aperture settings that I won't use. Yawn. Not a good start for the new CEO. I suspect a significant dip in people upgrading.
Also, wtf is with the Duo. That's all they could muster?

You realize that these devices take a few years to develop… the new CEO shouldn’t be blamed/praised for a couple more years…

Where is the standard iPhone 18?

Spring I hear…

 

[Anton Longshot]

There is always the option to wait for a price drop. I've been buying refurbished devices for years. The last "new" device I bought was a lumia 1520 and that was really just an insurance trade in.

This is the right time to upgrade so I'll just suck it up, it's not a problem.
Yum Lumia 1520 those were cool.
I'm still a bit sad MS blew it with Windows Mobile.
I really liked both my Lumias. MS blamed the app developers IIRC but I blame MS who should have lured them in. I hope the people at MS can hear my angry screams over the sound of my two Macs. Lol I snot-laughed over my own lame joke.

 

[LordVile95]

Completely underwhelmed with the new 18 Pro. I see no reason why I would upgrade from my 15 Pro. All I'd get for nearly 1.5k, is a new battery, a camera button I heard is weird to use, double the neural processing units, and a whole bunch of camera/aperture settings that I won't use. Yawn. Not a good start for the new CEO. I suspect a significant dip in people upgrading.
Also, wtf is with the Duo. That's all they could muster?

I mean you do get 1.5x the battery and the newer things like Ceramic Shield 2 and the better selfie camera which is actually quite useful.


Honestly the duo seems to improve over most of what folding phone do badly if what they said is true. I personally wouldn’t consider one until the 3rd gen but the fact they’re confident enough to advertise the Apple Pencil being used says a lot

 

[starfalls]

Sounds good.. but the prices of phones... ugh. This is why I'll never buy an Iphone.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Sounds good.. but the prices of phones... ugh. This is why I'll never buy an Iphone.

$12-1400 for the pro max is comparable to samsung or pixel phones. Cheap brands like Motorola dont offer anywhere near the performance or support window of high end devices.

 

[Squid Surprise]

$12-1400 for the pro max is comparable to samsung or pixel phones. Cheap brands like Motorola dont offer anywhere near the performance or support window of high end devices.

Sounds good.. but the prices of phones... ugh. This is why I'll never buy an Iphone.

You get what you pay for... some people don't need "all that", and are perfectly happy with cheaper devices.

I have a 15 Pro Max and I'm going to wait another year or 2 to upgrade... but I totally understand those who will be buying this... just not for me...

 

[Theinsanegamer]

You get what you pay for... some people don't need "all that", and are perfectly happy with cheaper devices.

I have a 15 Pro Max and I'm going to wait another year or 2 to upgrade... but I totally understand those who will be buying this... just not for me...

Yes, but if those cheaper devices have shorter lives, you wind up spending just as much, if not more.

The e series may be $700 now, but it still offers 8+ years of updates like the more expensive phones. Guarantee you the pixel 10a, its direct competitor, is gonna get a price hike soon. A $400 moto only gets 4 years, so to stay secure you're going to spend just as much if not more.

 

[p51d007]

a camera button I heard is weird to use, double the neural processing units, and a whole bunch of camera/aperture settings that I won't use.

SMART!
99% of the users of smartphones have NO IDEA what a variable aperture does.
Some companies have even done away with them on smartphones because it isn't worth the
effort on such a SUPER TINY camera lens/sensor.
Heck, ask someone what bokeh is (the background blur in a photo) is, and most will say what?
Most keep their phones in "auto mode" anyway, and never play around with f/stop (aperture),
iso, shutter speed does and what it can do to create a really great photo.
It's just another one of those "mine has more" that people who purchase things based on numbers.

 

[dangh]

Sounds good.. but the prices of phones... ugh. This is why I'll never buy an Iphone.

I won't buy iPhone either, not because of price, just because competition have better phones (xiaomi, huawei, with samsung being similar enough) and I dislike the idea of walled garden, android gives more ownership over my own device.

 

[LordVile95]

SMART!
99% of the users of smartphones have NO IDEA what a variable aperture does.
Some companies have even done away with them on smartphones because it isn't worth the
effort on such a SUPER TINY camera lens/sensor.
Heck, ask someone what bokeh is (the background blur in a photo) is, and most will say what?
Most keep their phones in "auto mode" anyway, and never play around with f/stop (aperture),
iso, shutter speed does and what it can do to create a really great photo.
It's just another one of those "mine has more" that people who purchase things based on numbers.

Do people need to know what it does if the computational photography makes the decisions for them?

 

[LordVile95]

Yes, but if those cheaper devices have shorter lives, you wind up spending just as much, if not more.

The e series may be $700 now, but it still offers 8+ years of updates like the more expensive phones. Guarantee you the pixel 10a, its direct competitor, is gonna get a price hike soon. A $400 moto only gets 4 years, so to stay secure you're going to spend just as much if not more.

Plus more cheaper chips draw more power which reduces battery life and magically you’ve spent an extra 100 to replace batteries

 

[Honest Abe]

I'm intrigued by the Duo, however, I will wait at least 2 years before spending on one, and wait for later versions. It's too new, and I need others to be the guinea pig first.

 

[p51d007]

Do people need to know what it does if the computational photography makes the decisions for them?

Unless you can tell the computational AI nonsense to "make the photo with the foreground sharp and adjust the aperture so the background bokeh is smooth."
Or at an airshow, "please slow the shutter speed so the propellers on the aircraft are blurry not frozen."

 

[LimyG]

Apeture control. Sounds interesting...but on an iPhone?

The 2nm chip sounds good.

After all seeing as I got the 17 back in June, and am pretty happy with it. Well, no buy for me.
I'll wait for vs 20 or something.

BTW: Before my 17, I stuck with the 7. A ten gen upgrade. Doesn't feel like that though. (Although the camera is good - for a mobile phone that is.)

P.S. I left the A.I. OFF. Any point putting it on?

Ohh they call it apple intelligence or similar. That that mean it won't make me extinct??