US technology giant Apple has introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, featuring major upgrades to their camera systems, performance, battery life, connectivity and artificial intelligence capabilities.
The new iPhones feature a 48-megapixel Fusion main camera with a variable aperture, a first for the iPhone lineup. The new system gives users greater creative control while taking photos. According to Apple, the upgraded sensor improves low-light photography and delivers clearer details in group photos.
The iPhone 18 Pro camera app also introduces Pro Controls, allowing users to manually adjust settings such as lens aperture, shutter speed and white balance. A built-in histogram will also allow users to monitor exposure levels while taking photographs.
With a new computational imaging pipeline, the main camera is designed to produce sharper and more detailed images. Upgraded Photographic Styles now also include texture and grain controls.
New Video Features
Apple has introduced several new video capabilities as well. Users can apply cinematic effects to videos recorded at up to 60 frames per second after capturing them.
The Time-lapse mode supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR video recording, while improved algorithms in Audio Mix are designed to deliver better sound quality.
New Feature to Verify Photo Authenticity
Apple has also introduced an Apple Reference Image feature on the iPhone 18 Pro, allowing users to check the authenticity of photographs.
The reference image can be viewed alongside the original photo in the Photos app, enabling users to make a visual comparison and determine whether an image has been edited.
Redesigned Dynamic Island
The Dynamic Island has also been redesigned on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
According to Apple, the new Dynamic Island can display up to three Live Activities simultaneously. Face ID-based authentication features, including phone unlocking and payments, remain available.
A20 Pro Chip Delivers Improved Performance
The new iPhones are powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, manufactured using second-generation 2-nanometer process technology. The chip offers 50 percent more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro.
The six-core CPU includes integrated neural accelerators, while the seven-core GPU is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro.
The A20 Pro also features a new dual 16-core Neural Engine. With a total of 32 neural processing cores, the system is designed to improve on-device AI and computational photography performance.
Both models also feature Apple’s custom-designed N1 wireless networking chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread.
Major Battery and Thermal Improvements
Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max delivers the biggest battery-life improvement in iPhone history.
The eSIM-only models can provide up to 36 hours of video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro and up to 45 hours on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The iPhone 18 Pro can reach 50 percent charge in approximately 15 minutes using wired charging, while wireless charging can bring it to 50 percent in around 30 minutes.
For the iPhone 18 Pro Max, just five minutes of wired charging can provide approximately seven hours of video playback.
iOS 27 and Siri AI
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max come with iOS 27, along with Apple Intelligence and new Siri AI capabilities.
Siri AI will be available in beta and will be able to understand users’ personal context to help locate relevant information across messages, emails and photos.
Apple says Apple Intelligence protects user privacy through a combination of on-device processing and Private Cloud Compute.
Price and Availability
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB storage options.
Both models will be offered in Black, Silver, Glacier and a new Burgundy color.
The iPhone 18 Pro will start at $1,199 in the United States, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max will start at $1,299.
Pre-orders will begin on September 12, with both models becoming available on September 18, 2026.
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