Apple kicked off its annual iPhone event today by unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. Apple says this latest generation of its Pro phones represents its most powerful iPhones yet, with advancements in the aspects of the iPhone that matter most: intelligence, performance, battery life, and the camera.
Let’s take a look at what’s new.
New A20 Pro Chip and a 40% Performance Boost
At the core of iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is the new A20 Pro chip. Built atop the same 2-nanometer process behind the desktop class M6 chip, the A20 Pro has smaller transistors making for a more densely packed chip and enabling a lot more performance.
The A20 Pro features a 6-core CPU with four efficiency cores and two new desktop-class Super Cores that are 40% faster than the previous generation. A20 Pro also features a new 7-core GPU that delivers a 40% increase in performance over A19 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro.
Also new on A20 Pro is the addition of a second Neural Engine. This places 32 cores of dedicated AI acceleration for on-device AI tasks. Also aiding in on-device AI processing is A20 Pro’s 50% increase in memory bandwidth.
But another important change with A20 Pro is to the physical packaging of the silicon. Inspired by its M-series desktop chips, A20 Pro’s packaging places it side by side with the memory. This removes the memory from the thermal path of the chip, allowing Apple to attach the chip directly to the iPhone 18 Pro’s redesigned vapor chamber.
Apple introduced vapor chamber cooling with last year’s iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. The next generation vapor chamber inside iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max is larger, with 3x the surface area compared to the vapor chamber in the 17 Pro models. This combination of a larger vapor chamber, faster chip, and a direct attachment of chip to vapor chamber results in what Apple is calling the highest sustained performance on iPhone ever—40% faster than iPhone 17 Pro.
The Most Advanced Camera System Ever in an iPhone
Apple has updated the main 48MP Fusion Camera on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to now include variable aperture.
Lens aperture describes a set of interlocking blades inside a lens that allow you to control how much light enters the lens. Being able to adjust aperture not only makes an image brighter or darker by allowing in more or less light, but it also gives you control over an image’s depth of field. Depth of field describes the point in an image where focus falls off and the image becomes soft or blurry.
With variable aperture, the iPhone 18 Pro offers photographers and videographers more control than ever over the exposure and bokeh (the look of out of focus areas) of their images. The variable aperture system on iPhone 18 Pro is composed of six blades thinner than a human hair. The aperture can adjust automatically based on the scene or it can be controlled manually through new Pro Controls in the camera app. Pro Controls also include the ability to change white balance, enable a histogram for exposure monitoring, adjust shutter speed and enable smart focus tracking.
Apple says the new smart focus tracking feature uses on-device AI to retain focus on fast moving subjects—even if they exit and re-enter the frame.
Apple has also introduced updates to its Photographic Styles, now allowing you to add and adjust texture and grain to create more unique and film-like styles.
Apple also announced a new feature called Apple Reference Image. This feature is designed to prove that an image taken on iPhone 18 Pro was not created or altered by AI. When an image is captured, Apple Reference Image signs the image on the pixel level and provides something Apple calls akin to a “digital negative” that allows you to view the original, unaltered image as captured by the sensor.
Longest Battery Life Ever in an iPhone
Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max represent the largest incraese in battery life ever on iPhone. The 18 Pro can now last up to 24 hours on a single charge, while the Pro Max can now last up to 30 hours. Plus, Apple has boosted wired quick charging speeds, now charging the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max to as much as 50% charge in as little as 15 minutes.
Improved Dynamic Island
Apple has also improved the Dynamic Island on iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, reducing the size of the FaceID sensor array on the front of the phone while upgrading the Dynamic Island itself to show three Live Activities at once.
New Colors, Pricing, Availability
iPhone 18 Pro will start at $1,199 while iPhone 18 Pro Max will start at $1,299. Both models will be available in deep black, silver, glacier (a light blue), and burgundy.
Pre-orders for iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will open on Saturday, September 12 with shipping and in-store availability starting September 18.
