iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max Launch With New Cameras and Higher Prices

Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, featuring a new variable-aperture main camera, the A20 Pro chip, redesigned Dynamic Island, extended battery life, and enhanced AI capabilities. These models also incorporate Apple's latest C2 cellular modem and N1 wireless networking chip. Running on iOS 27, the smartphones introduce a new version of Siri, powered by Apple Intelligence.

The iPhone 18 Pro boasts a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max features a larger 6.9-inch panel, both equipped with Super Retina XDR OLED technology and ProMotion for adaptive refresh rates reaching 120Hz. A notable design change includes a smaller Dynamic Island, now capable of displaying up to three Live Activities simultaneously.

Both devices utilize a vapor chamber for improved thermal management. They come in four finishes: black, silver, glacier, and a new burgundy color. The phones employ a new vapor chamber for enhanced cooling, claimed to provide a 40% improvement in sustained performance compared to the previous-generation iPhone 17 Pro.

Powered by Apple's new A20 Pro chip, the devices offer a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU, and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. The A20 Pro features 50% more memory bandwidth than its predecessor, with up to 40% higher GPU performance and twice the AI processing power of the Neural Engine.

Wireless connectivity is enhanced by Apple's C2 cellular modem and N1 chip, supporting Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. The C2 modem delivers faster uploads with 15% less energy consumption and supports mmWave in the U.S. Both models run iOS 27, which introduces iPhone Handoff for seamless switching between two iPhones while maintaining the same phone number.

Apple Intelligence, a next-generation AI system, is integrated into the new iPhone 18 models. Siri AI is available as a beta feature, providing personalized responses using context from messages, emails, and photos. The Camera app now includes Pro controls for manual adjustments and a new mode that identifies and provides information about objects and scenes in front of the camera.

The biggest camera upgrade is the new 48MP Fusion Main camera, featuring a variable aperture. It can automatically adjust the aperture from f/1.48 in low light to f/1.8 for portraits or f/4 to keep more subjects in focus. Users can manually select among four aperture settings. A new computational photography pipeline enhances image quality, particularly in low-light conditions and group photos.

The Camera app offers Pro controls for aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, along with a histogram display for exposure monitoring. Photographic Styles now includes texture and grain controls, while the Image Playground can generate photorealistic images, and Safari gains Notify Me for webpage changes.