The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are smartphones developed and marketed by Apple. Alongside the iPhone Duo, they form the twentieth generation of the iPhone, succeeding the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. They were unveiled during the Apple Event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 9, 2026. The models were released on September 18, 2026.
History
Price increase In June2026, The Wall Street Journal reported that the iPhone18Pro pricing had increased and the phone could start near $1,399. The then-Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that Apple was not immune to soaring costs of memory chips and SSDs, suggesting that the company would need to increase device prices to maintain its current profit margins.
J.P. Morgan stated that iPhone price hike would not be more than $50, whereas Fixed Focus Digital claimed it would see a price hike, adding that the iPhoneDuo would be priced 10% to 20% higher than previously expected. International Data Corporation (IDC) predicted that the iPhone18Pro and ProMax could see a $200 price increase.
The price increase was confirmed at the Apple Event on September9, 2026, with the Pro model starting at US$1,199 and the ProMax model starting at US$1,299.
Data breach and leak The A20Pro chip was allegedly leaked in June2026, shown to be adopting Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) packaging. In addition, the motherboard design for the iPhone18Pro, as well as footage of prototypes, were leaked after a supplier cyberattack.
Rumors and development Many of the iPhone 18 Pro features and design changes were rumored before the announcement of the iPhone 17 Pro. Reports as early as September 2025 suggested that the next iPhone would feature a smaller Dynamic Island. More detailed leaks appeared in December 2025 and January 2026; these claimed the new iPhone would feature an under-screen Face ID and revealed specific sizes for the new Dynamic Island. In February 2026, trial production for the iPhone 18 Pro was started, suggesting that the phone would enter manufacturing. In March 2026, images were posted showing a prototype iPhone 18 Pro with a smaller Dynamic Island.
Multiple reports of the iPhone 18 Pro design surfaced in June 2026, ranging from screen protector leaks, to a larger camera module, and pictures showing the iPhone 18 Pro's sim tray. Battery capacities for the iPhone 18 Pro also surfaced. In July 2026, battery capacities for the iPhone 18 Pro Max were leaked.
In August 2026, Tim Culpan reported that the DRAM for iPhone 18 Pro was awaiting delivery, and that the phones would have limited availability upon launch. References to the iPhone 18 Pro were revealed in the beta release of iOS 27. Unreleased cases were also found at Best Buy.
In September 2026, reports indicated that the iPhone 18 Pro phones would come in a black color but not a silver option. Later reports contradicted this, stating the models would include three colors, but not a black option.
Unveiling and release On August 26, 2026, an Apple event with the tagline "Surprise and shine" was set for September 9. The iPhone 18 Pro was unveiled at the event. On September 17, prior to the release of the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple CEO John Ternus teased the launch day at Apple Fifth Avenue in New York.
Design The iPhone 18 Pro comes in four colors: Black, Glacier, Burgundy, and Silver. The built in dynamic island is also noticeably smaller than the base and pro models of the previous iPhone.
ModeliPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro MaxBase colors
Specifications Chipset The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max use the Apple A20 Pro chip. According to Apple, it is up to 40% faster than the Apple A19 Pro chip from its predeccesor. According to Apple, the A20 Pro has an "M Series inspired packaging".
Display The iPhone 18 Pro uses a OLED display (2622×1206-pixel resolution), while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses a OLED Super Retina XDR display (2868×1320-pixel resolution). Both models have a smaller "Dynamic Island" cutout than the iPhone 17 Pro models, replacing the design that has been used since the iPhone 14 Pro.
Camera The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are the first iPhones to feature a physical aperture in their camera system, as well as the first to use variable-aperture cameras.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max cameras have the ability to create cryptographically signed reference images that cannot be altered to prove that the image is legitimate.
Connectivity The iPhone 18 Pro uses the new 5G over satellite infrastructure using Apple's C2 modem and the Apple U2 ultra wideband chip. The iPhone 18 Pro Max also utilizes Apple's C2 modem, except in the United States where it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80, the same used in the iPhone 17 Pro.
Battery The iPhone 18 Pro uses a 4,056 mAh battery for physical SIM version and 4,288 mAh for eSIM version. For the iPhone 18 Pro Max, there is a 5,391 mAh for physical SIM version and 5,567 mAh for the eSIM version. Apple says that the iPhone 18 Pro can be charged up to 50 percent in 15 minutes.
In order to comply with international shipping regulations which affect the shipment of batteries with a capacity of over 20 watt-hours, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is shipped with a firmware lock to limit battery capacity until the phone is activated. If a user needs to ship their activated phone for repair or resale, a new Prepare to Ship feature is available to temporarily re-enable this limit, after discharging the battery if necessary.
Software The devices shipped with iOS 27, both compatible with on-device Apple Intelligence features, including custom Siri voices and on-device Siri AI. The reduced Dynamic Island displays up to three live activities and a more circular Siri AI.
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max both introduce a camera variable aperture settings menu in the Camera app.
Release The iPhone 18 Pro has a starting price of US$1,199. Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max started on September 12, 2026, followed by the release on September 18, 2026.
Availability by region September 18, 2026
Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Canada China Colombia Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Hong Kong Hungary India Ireland Italy Japan Luxembourg Macao Malaysia Mexico Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Romania Saudi Arabia Singapore Serbia Slovakia South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Turkey United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Vietnam
September 22, 2026 Chile September 25, 2026
Argentina Bahrain Cyprus Egypt Indonesia Israel Jordan Kuwait Oman Peru Qatar South Africa Ukraine
October 16, 2026
Philippines
Reception Critical reviews Commentary on the iPhone18Pro's pricing was mixed. Ahead of the announcement, GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu downgraded Apple stock to "hold", citing expected increases of $200 to $300 driven by TSMC wafer, DRAM and NAND flash memory costs, and argued that a higher price combined with iterative hardware upgrades could weaken demand. After Bloomberg reported that the increase would be $100, 9to5Mac characterized the rise as smaller than many analysts had projected. Tom's Guide noted that the out-of-warranty battery service fee also rose, from $119 on the iPhone17Pro to $129.
The camera system drew the most consistent praise. Engadget rated the iPhone18Pro 9 out of 10, describing its camera performance as the best of any iPhone and stating that variable aperture had narrowed the gap with the Google Pixel series in portrait and night photography, though it considered the Pixel still ahead in those modes. Tom's Guide awarded 4.5 out of 5, citing the variable aperture camera and the newly added manual Pro controls. Reviewing the camera system for PetaPixel, Jaron Schneider said he had been underwhelmed by the keynote but concluded after extended testing that the photographic experience was markedly improved, highlighting the variable aperture in video, autofocus tracking he compared to a mirrorless camera, and the Reference Image authentication system.
Several reviewers questioned the overall value of the upgrade. MacRumors concluded that there was no compelling reason to move from an iPhone17Pro or an iPhone16Pro, while recommending the model to owners of an iPhone14Pro or older.
iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro reveals a repair issue where the plastic frame would get damaged after opening, and it has given a repairability score of 7 out of 10 due to issues with the frame, along with other tests done on the phone. iFixit says that it has carried the same repairability strengths as the iPhone 17 Pro.
Issues
Face ID issues Upon release, some iPhone 18 Pro users reported Face ID problems where the phone would not unlock, or the phone would freeze, and eventually reboots to the lock screen. Apple has released iOS 27.0.1 on September 28, 2026, to resolve the issue.
Speaker issues Shortly after the release of iOS 27.0.1, some iPhone 18 Pro users reported crackling sound or popping during app use, which appears to be software related.
Cellular issues Shortly after launch, in September 2026, some iPhone 18 Pro Max users in the United States reported issues when they were not able to connect to the AT&T network for phone calls, text messages, or data. A few days later, AT&T sent a text message to affected users stating that they should update to iOS 27.0.1, which did not solve the issue. AT&T then said it is "working with Apple" to resolve these problems. On October 3, 2026, Apple said that the problem was hardware-related. Since affected iPhone 18 Pro Max devices cannot be repaired, users should have them fully replaced.
Notes
References
External links
– official website