Apple’s new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max largely build on last year’s models with a series of targeted upgrades rather than a major redesign. The most notable changes dial in better performance, camera capabilities, battery life, and wired charging speeds.
Several key specifications remain unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro models. The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max retain the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, 3,000-nit peak outdoor brightness, and 48-megapixel Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras with 4x Telephoto and 8x optical-quality zoom.
MagSafe and Qi2 charging also remain capped at 25W, while the overall industrial design – minus the Dynamic Island – is largely unchanged. The Main camera, however, receives substantial upgrades, including the new variable-aperture system. Here’s what you can expect if you’re planning to upgrade from an iPhone 17 Pro or Pro Max.
- A20 Pro chip replaces the A19 Pro, with up to 20% faster CPU and 40% faster GPU performance.
- 7-core GPU that’s up from the 6-core GPU in the A19 Pro.
- Twice the AI processing performance, with a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine.
- Redesigned vapor chamber with three times the surface area, enabling up to 40% better sustained performance.
- Smaller Dynamic Island that can display up to three Live Activities at once.
- Variable-aperture 48MP Main camera with ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4 settings, replacing the fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture on the iPhone 17 Pro models.
- Around 50% better low-light performance from the Main camera.
- New manual camera controls for aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and histogram.
- New Apple Reference Image feature for creating authenticated, unalterable reference photos.
- Photographic Styles 3, with new texture and grain controls.
- Cinematic effects that can now be applied after capture to video shot at up to 60 fps.
- Cinematic mode at up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps, up from 30 fps on the previous models.
- Time-lapse recording upgraded to 4K Dolby Vision.
- Improved Audio Mix with higher-quality voice processing and music isolation.
- New smart focus tracking for photos and video.
- Improved low-light video recording at 1080p.
- Up to 36 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro, up from 33 hours on the 17 Pro.
- Up to 45 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro Max, up from 39 hours on the 17 Pro Max.
- Faster wired charging: Apple says 50% in around 15 minutes, down from around 20 minutes.
- 2TB storage option on the 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro, up from a 1TB maximum.
- New Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy finishes, replacing Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue.
- Heavier design: The iPhone 18 Pro is 5g heavier than its predecessor, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max is 16g heavier.
- $100 higher starting price: $1,199 for iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 for iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be available to pre-order starting Saturday, September 12 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time / 8 a.m. Eastern Time. The devices will then be released on Friday, September 18. If you’re keen to be among the first to get your hands on one, we have some tips on how to give yourself the best chance come launch day.
This article, "What Upgrading to iPhone 18 Pro From iPhone 17 Pro Gets You" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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