Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with A20 Pro chip and variable aperture main cameras unveiled
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max are here, and while they look very similar to their predecessors, they also offer some new features under the hood. Externally, there are three new colors and a smaller Dynamic Island display, while internally they feature the A20 Pro chip, larger batteries, and main cameras with variable apertures.
Burgundy is the new trend color, joined by glacier blue, black, and silver. The Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max feature the same 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED displays with the same resolution, refresh rate, and brightness as their predecessors. New is the narrower Dynamic Island, which allows for the simultaneous display of up to three Live Activities. However, the selfie camera remains unchanged, still using the same 18MP module.
Next on the list of improvements is the Apple A20 Pro chip. Based on a 2nm process, it features an additional CPU core, a new GPU core, and a second Neural Engine compared to the A19 Pro. This brings the total number of CPU cores to six, including two desktop-class supercores. The 7-core GPU is said to offer 40% faster graphics processing compared to the A19 Pro chip. The A20 Pro also features updated Neural Accelerators and two Neural Engines with 32 cores. Apple also touts a 50% increase in memory bandwidth.
But it’s not just the faster chip; Apple has also improved thermal management with a next-generation vapor chamber three times the size of the one in the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple also touts an optimized silicon enclosure, inspired by the M-series chips, which connects the silicon and memory chips directly to the vapor chamber for more efficient heat dissipation.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with variable aperture
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max still feature three 48-megapixel cameras, but the main camera now has a variable aperture. This allows manual control with an aperture of up to f/4.0 and adjustable shutter speed. As a result, up to 50% more light is captured in low-light conditions, and videos with cinematic effects can be recorded. Apple also offers new photo styles with texture and grain controls.
As is typical for Apple, no concrete information was provided regarding battery life. The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max with eSIM offers the “longest battery life” in iPhone history: Apple promises up to 45 hours of video playback. The eSIM model now allows up to 36 hours of video playback. Charging speed has also been improved: A 50 percent charge takes only 15 minutes.
On the software side, both smartphones are equipped with iOS 27, including the new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features. Siri is now compatible with a wide range of third-party apps, and the corresponding Siri app saves past conversations and synchronizes them across devices.
The new Siri will not be available in the EU and China, and will launch later this month as a beta version.
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro with 256GB of storage is available from €1,449/$1,199, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max costs at least €1,599/$1,299. Pre-orders begin on September 12th, with the official sales launch on September 18th.
