CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA / RankWire.AI / – Apple has revealed the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, showcasing upgraded camera hardware, enhanced processing power, and longer-lasting batteries. These devices introduce a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with an adjustable aperture, along with the A20 Pro processor and a revamped vapor chamber for better sustained performance. The company has also reduced the size of the Dynamic Island while expanding its capabilities. Preorders are set to start on September 12, with initial retail sales beginning on September 18.
The upgraded Main camera features six laser-cut blades that manage aperture across four different settings. Users can manually adjust aperture, shutter speed, and white balance within the Camera app. The interface now includes a histogram to help monitor exposure while framing shots. Photographic Styles have been improved with new controls for texture and grain. Video recording at up to 60 frames per second allows for post-recording Cinematic effects, and Time-lapse recordings now support 4K video with Dolby Vision HDR.
Another notable camera innovation is Apple Reference Image, a feature dedicated to verifying photo authenticity. When in Reference mode, signed sensor data is captured alongside images taken with the Main camera. Private Cloud Compute then processes this data into a reference image for comparison within the Photos app. Users can compare it with the original to spot any visible changes. Support for SynthID is also anticipated later in 2026. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s global marketing chief, emphasized the improvements in camera, performance, battery life, and intelligence during the product launch.
Enhanced control over photography with variable aperture
The A20 Pro chip is built on a 2-nanometer process, featuring a six-core CPU and a seven-core GPU. Apple claims the GPU outperforms the A19 Pro by up to 40% in speed. It also contains a Dual 16-core Neural Engine, totaling 32 cores. The thermal system has been redesigned to position the processor closer to a larger vapor chamber, which offers three times the surface area of its predecessor. This design enables the chip to deliver up to 40% higher sustained performance, according to Apple.
Battery life improvements are particularly notable on eSIM-only models, which utilize space previously occupied by a physical SIM tray. The iPhone 18 Pro is capable of up to 36 hours of video playback during testing, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max can last up to 45 hours. Wired charging can bring the battery to 50% in approximately 15 minutes. eSIM-only variants will be available in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, among other markets.
iOS 27 introduces Siri AI and broader Apple Intelligence features
Both versions of the iPhone 18 Pro will run iOS 27, supporting the latest advancements in Apple Intelligence. Siri AI will enter beta on September 14 for supported devices configured in English, with support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish following in October. Siri AI can leverage personal context from messages, emails, and photos when responding to user requests. It can also interact with on-screen information. Cloud-based tasks use Private Cloud Compute, while other Apple Intelligence functions operate directly on the device.
Pricing for the iPhone 18 Pro begins at $1,199 in the United States, with the Pro Max starting at $1,299. Customers can choose storage capacities of 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB. Available colors include black, silver, glacier, and burgundy. Preorders will open at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on September 12, and sales will commence on September 18 across more than 65 countries and regions. An additional 20 markets will join on September 25, expanding the reach of Apple’s latest Pro lineup.