Apple has officially unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max today, introducing a camera system with a variable aperture, a new processor built using 2-nanometer technology and a more capable version of Siri as the company continues to push the iPhone toward becoming an artificial intelligence hub.
The new models, which will go on sale Sept. 18, are the latest effort by Apple to distinguish its high-end phones through advances in photography, computing power and battery life. Prices start at $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max.
The most visible change is in the camera. For the first time on an iPhone, the main camera has a variable aperture, allowing the lens to control how much light enters and how much of a scene remains in focus. Six laser-cut blades move between aperture settings, ranging from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4.
At the wider ƒ/1.48 setting, the camera can gather more light in dark environments. Narrowing the aperture to ƒ/4 increases the depth of field, which can keep more people in focus in a group photograph. Apple is also giving professional users manual control over aperture, shutter speed and white balance, along with a histogram for judging exposure.
“With iPhone 18 Pro, we’ve made advancements to the areas our users care about most: camera, performance, battery, and intelligence. And we didn’t just make incremental improvements in these areas — we took huge leaps forward to create the best Pro iPhone we’ve ever made,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 18 Pro makes it easy for anyone to capture stunning photos and videos using variable aperture, while providing more versatility for creators and more control for pros. Paired with impactful upgrades to Photographic Styles and powerful video capabilities, iPhone 18 Pro unlocks entirely new ways for users to express themselves.”
The main camera retains a 48-megapixel sensor, but Apple says a new computational photography pipeline will improve detail and low-light performance. The company has also added controls for texture and grain to its Photographic Styles, allowing photographers to alter the appearance of images beyond conventional color adjustments.
For video, the phones can apply some cinematic effects after footage has been recorded at up to 60 frames per second. Time-lapse videos can now be recorded in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR. Apple has also revised Audio Mix, a feature designed to separate voices from background sounds and music.
Apple is also introducing what it calls Apple Reference Image, a system intended to provide a way of establishing whether a photograph has been altered.
When Reference mode is used, the phone’s main camera records signed sensor data for each pixel. Apple says that data is processed through its Private Cloud Compute system into an unalterable reference image. Users can compare that image with the corresponding photograph in the Photos application.
The feature is aimed at a growing problem in photography: distinguishing an image captured by a camera from one that has been substantially altered or generated using artificial intelligence. Apple said image metadata and planned support for the SynthID standard could also help identify images generated or edited by AI.
The company’s move into image authenticity comes as news organizations, photographers and the public contend with increasingly realistic synthetic images. Apple is positioning Reference Image as one tool for establishing what a camera sensor actually recorded, rather than as a guarantee that an image circulating online has not been manipulated after capture.
The iPhone 18 Pro models also introduce a redesigned Dynamic Island, Apple’s pill-shaped area at the top of the display. It can now display as many as three Live Activities simultaneously while continuing to support Face ID.
Inside the phones is Apple’s new A20 Pro chip, which the company says is manufactured using a 2-nanometer process. The chip has a six-core CPU, a seven-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine designed to accelerate artificial intelligence tasks and computational photography.
Apple says the A20 Pro has 50 percent more memory bandwidth than the previous generation and that its GPU is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro. The company is also doubling the number of Neural Engine cores to 32, a change intended to increase the amount of AI processing that can be performed on the device.
The new processor is paired with a redesigned cooling system. A vapor chamber with three times the surface area of the previous generation is designed to move heat away from the processor during sustained workloads. Apple says the system can produce up to a 40 percent improvement in sustained performance compared with the iPhone 17 Pro.
The company is also promising longer battery life. The iPhone 18 Pro is rated for as much as 36 hours of video playback on eSIM-only models, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max is rated for as much as 45 hours.
Apple says five minutes of wired charging on the iPhone 18 Pro Max can provide about seven hours of video playback. The Pro model can reach 50 percent charge in about 15 minutes, while wireless charging can reach the same level in about 30 minutes.
Artificial intelligence is another major part of Apple’s pitch.
The phones will run iOS 27, which includes the latest version of Apple Intelligence and a redesigned Siri that Apple is calling Siri AI. The company says Siri will be able to use information from messages, emails and photographs to provide responses based on a user’s personal context.
Siri AI will also be able to understand what is displayed on the screen and take actions based on that information. A new camera mode will allow users to point the phone at something and ask Siri for information about it.
Apple is emphasizing privacy as it expands these capabilities. Some AI processing takes place on the device, while more demanding requests can be handled through Private Cloud Compute, Apple’s system for processing certain AI workloads in the cloud.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will be available with 256 gigabytes, 512 gigabytes, 1 terabyte or 2 terabytes of storage. They come in black, silver, glacier and a new burgundy finish.
The phones will be sold initially in more than 65 countries and regions, with preorders beginning Sept. 12. The first models will reach customers Sept. 18, with additional markets following Sept. 25.
Apple is also expanding its use of eSIM, which replaces a physical SIM card with a digital one. ESIM-only versions of the new Pro models will be sold in countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and several Gulf markets. Apple says removing the physical SIM slot allows it to use the additional space for a larger battery.
The company said the phones contain 40 percent recycled material overall, including recycled cobalt in the battery and recycled aluminum in the enclosure. Apple said 50 percent renewable energy is used across the supply chain involved in manufacturing the models.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 in the United States, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299. Both models are available with up to 2 terabytes of storage, placing the most expensive configurations among Apple’s highest-priced smartphones.
The iOS 27 software update will be available free on Sept. 14. Apple Intelligence and Siri AI will initially be available in supported languages and regions, with some features subject to local laws and regulations.
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