Apple Introduces iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max with Major Camera, AI, Performance and Battery Upgrades

Apple is raising the bar with the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, bringing major upgrades to the camera, performance, battery life, and AI features. The new phones also introduce the A20 Pro chip, a redesigned Dynamic Island – and new Pro camera controls. Together, these upgrades make the latest iPhone Pro models more powerful and versatile for everyday users and creators.

In a press release, Apple announced that pre-orders for the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max begin Saturday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max bring their biggest changes to photography and video. Both models feature a new 48MP Fusion Main camera with variable aperture, giving users more control over depth of field, lighting, and the overall look of their photos. The system uses six laser-cut blades to automatically adjust between four aperture settings – while professional users can make manual adjustments through the Camera app. Apple has also added new Pro controls for shutter speed, white balance, aperture, and exposure monitoring through a histogram. The upgraded computational photography system improves detail and low-light performance, while new texture and grain controls expand the options available through Photographic Styles. Video also gets new capabilities, including post-capture Cinematic effects for footage recorded at up to 60 fps, 4K Dolby Vision HDR time-lapse recording – and improved Audio Mix – for clearer voices and better music isolation.

Apple is also focusing on performance and AI and connectivity as well as image authenticity. The new A20 Pro chip is built on a 2-nanometer process and features a six-core CPU and seven-core GPU and Dual 16-core Neural Engine designed to accelerate on-device AI and computational photography. Apple says the GPU can be up to 40 percent faster than the previous generation – while memory bandwidth increases by 50 percent. The phones also introduce the N1 wireless networking chip with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, alongside the new C2 cellular modem system. A redesigned vapor chamber, with three times the surface area of the previous generation, helps maintain higher performance during demanding tasks. The Dynamic Island has also been redesigned to display up to three Live Activities at once. For photography, Apple Reference Image can create an unalterable reference version of a photo using signed sensor data, while metadata and upcoming SynthID support are intended to help users identify AI-generated or edited images.

Battery life and software and accessories – and sustainability – round out the upgrades. The iPhone 18 Pro offers up to 34 hours of video playback, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max reaches up to 43 hours, with faster charging also available. Both phones run iOS 27 – which adds new personalization features, parental controls, iPhone Handoff, Apple Intelligence, and a beta version of Siri AI. Apple is also introducing new Silicone, TechWoven, Clear, and FineWoven accessories, alongside Wrist Straps and Crossbody Straps. The devices use 40 percent recycled content overall, including recycled cobalt in the battery and recycled aluminum in the enclosure. iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 – while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299, with storage options ranging from 256GB to 2TB.