Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max on 9 September, with pre-orders from 12 September and availability from 18 September. The changes are more substantial than the last couple of generations.
The camera
The headline feature is a variable aperture on the 48MP main camera – the lens opening physically changes rather than being fixed. That gives real control over depth of field instead of simulating it in software, and it helps in low light.
Contrary to earlier reports, this is on both Pro models rather than the Max alone.
Telephoto reaches up to 8x optical-quality zoom. The front camera stays at 18MP with automatic reframing.
Apple Reference Image
The more interesting addition. A new sensor signs every pixel it captures, producing a cryptographically verifiable record of what the camera actually saw, viewable alongside the processed photo like a digital negative.
In an era where any image can be generated, a verifiable original has obvious value and Apple is the first major manufacturer to ship it.
Chip and battery
The A20 Pro is built on a 2nm process, paired with a lower-power C2 modem. Apple says the Pro Max has the largest battery increase of any iPhone – around 30 hours of usage and 45 hours of video playback.
One detail worth knowing: eSIM-only models get more battery than versions with a physical SIM tray, because the space is used for cells. The difference is roughly two hours of video.
Colours
Black, silver, glacier, and a new burgundy.