Apple has unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, with CEO John Ternus leading his first iPhone launch as Apple chief executive. The launch moved quickly, with Apple getting its first major product reveal of the event out of the way in a short time.
iPhone 18 Pro Colours
The iPhone 18 Pro looks very similar to last year’s iPhone 17 Pro. Apple has kept a familiar overall design instead of making a major visual change. Apple is adding two new colours to the iPhone 18 Pro lineup — glacier and burgundy. The iPhone 18 Pro will also come in a larger Pro Max version, giving customers a bigger-screen option.
iPhone 18 Pro gets big upgrades
Ternus said Apple has made “massive advancements” in four major areas of the new iPhone: intelligence, performance, battery and camera.
Deep Dive
What are the new colors available for the iPhone 18 Pro?
How does the camera system in the iPhone 18 Pro improve photo authenticity?
What enhancements have been made to the battery life of the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max?
Ternus used his first iPhone launch as CEO to explain Apple’s vision for artificial intelligence. He focused on how future devices should use AI to make everyday experiences more useful. His opening presentation echoed the style of Steve Jobs’ original iPhone launch, where Jobs first described what an ideal device should be like before revealing that the device was the iPhone.
Ternus asked how Apple would design the ideal version of a personal technology hub from scratch, saying the device should always be with the user and feel deeply personal. He said the ideal device should also be intelligent enough to bring useful AI to people at the moments when it matters most.
{{/usCountry}}Ternus asked how Apple would design the ideal version of a personal technology hub from scratch, saying the device should always be with the user and feel deeply personal. He said the ideal device should also be intelligent enough to bring useful AI to people at the moments when it matters most.
{{/usCountry}}Ternus then linked that vision directly to the new iPhone, saying Apple would take these experiences further with the next generation of the device. “Today, we’re going to take these experiences even further with the next generation of iPhone,” Ternus said, as Apple began its iPhone 18 Pro presentation.
Also read: Will Apple stock rise after the iPhone 18 launch? Here's what history says
Camera
Apple is adding a new feature aimed at proving that a photo was actually taken by an iPhone camera and was not generated by AI. The feature is called Apple Reference Image.
The feature starts working directly from the camera sensor when a photo is captured. This creates a secure record of how the image was taken.
“The new main camera securely signs photo data at a pixel level right at the time of capture,” an Apple presenter said. Apple says this can help prove the authenticity of photos taken with the iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple is also making a major change to the camera hardware by adding physical shutters. These shutters can be controlled to change the depth of field, focus and bokeh in photos.
The new camera system is designed to offer a variable aperture, giving users more control over how much of a photo is in focus and how the background looks.
Apple Vice President Kaiann Drance explained that the company developed a six-blade shutter system for the variable aperture. Each laser-cut blade is thinner than a human hair, Drance said.
Also read: Apple’s $2,000 foldable iPhone: Can it finally make foldable phones mainstream?
Battery
Battery life is another major focus of the new Pro models. Apple is highlighting longer battery life as one of the key improvements in the iPhone 18 Pro lineup.
The smaller iPhone 18 Pro can deliver up to 24 hours of battery life, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max offers up to 30 hours on a single charge. That gives the larger model six more hours of battery life than the iPhone 18 Pro, based on Apple’s stated figures.
Siri AI
Apple is finally bringing its upgraded AI-powered Siri to the new iPhone lineup. Apple had announced the new Siri in June, but its earlier reveal received a lacklustre response. Apple is describing the new Siri as an “entirely new version of Siri.” The company says the assistant can do more than simply answer questions.
The new Siri can take action inside apps that users already have on their phones. Apple says this also works with third-party apps. Apple claims its AI-powered Siri works with more than 300,000 apps. The feature is designed to make Siri more useful for everyday tasks across different applications.
A20 Pro chip
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are powered by Apple’s new A20 Pro chip. Apple says the processor has been redesigned for the new generation.
Apple has redesigned the cores inside the A20 Pro chip. The company describes the new cores as “desktop class” and says they will make artificial intelligence faster. Apple is also highlighting the A20 Pro as a 2nm chip. The company says this makes it the first smartphone chip to use TSMC’s latest 2nm manufacturing technology.