CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA / RankWire.AI / – Apple has introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max with major upgrades to cameras, performance and battery life. Both models feature a 48-megapixel Fusion Main camera with variable aperture. The phones also use the new A20 Pro chip and an updated vapor chamber. Apple has redesigned the Dynamic Island to display more information. Preorders begin September 12. Sales start September 18 across more than 65 countries and regions.
The new Main camera uses six laser-cut blades to move between four aperture settings. Users can control depth of field and light capture inside the Camera app. Pro controls also add manual settings for shutter speed and white balance. A histogram helps users monitor exposure before taking a photo or recording video. Photographic Styles now include texture and grain controls. The phones also support post-capture Cinematic effects on video recorded at up to 60 frames per second.
Apple Reference Image adds a new tool for checking whether photographs have been changed after capture. Reference mode records signed sensor data when users take a picture with the Main camera. Private Cloud Compute processes that information into a reference image. Users can compare it with the main photo inside the Photos app. Apple also plans to support SynthID later in 2026. The company says image metadata will provide another method for identifying AI-generated or edited content.
Variable aperture broadens camera control
The A20 Pro uses a 2-nanometer process and combines a six-core CPU with a seven-core GPU. Apple says the GPU delivers up to 40% faster performance than the A19 Pro. The chip also includes a Dual 16-core Neural Engine with 32 total cores. A redesigned thermal system connects the processor more directly to a larger vapor chamber. The chamber has three times more surface area than the previous generation. Apple says the system improves sustained performance during demanding workloads.
Battery life increases on both models, with larger gains on eSIM-only versions. The iPhone 18 Pro offers up to 36 hours of video playback. The iPhone 18 Pro Max reaches up to 45 hours under the same measure. Compatible wired equipment can charge the Pro model to 50% in about 15 minutes. eSIM-only versions use space previously occupied by the physical SIM tray. Those models will launch in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Siri AI arrives with iOS 27
The iPhone 18 Pro lineup runs iOS 27 and supports the latest Apple Intelligence features. Siri AI enters beta on September 14 for supported devices configured in English. French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish support follows in October. Siri AI can use personal context from messages, email and photos when answering requests. It can also respond to information shown on the screen. Supported cloud-based tasks use Private Cloud Compute, while other functions run directly on the device.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 in the United States. The iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299. Buyers can choose 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage. Available finishes include black, silver, glacier and burgundy. Apple opens preorders at 5 a.m. Pacific Time on September 12. Retail availability begins September 18 in the first group of markets, followed by another 20 countries and regions on September 25.