Apple Unveils iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max With Variable Aperture Camera

Apple has announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, adding a variable aperture 48MP Main camera, the A20 Pro chip, a smaller Dynamic Island, and longer battery life.

Prices start at $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 for the iPhone 18 Pro Max, a $100 increase over last year's models.

Pre-orders open at 5 a.m. PT on Saturday, September 12, with availability beginning Friday, September 18.

Variable aperture camera

The headline change is the updated 48MP Fusion Main camera, which brings variable aperture to iPhone for the first time. A six-blade mechanism, moved by a small rotor, physically adjusts the aperture between f/1.48 for low light and f/4 for greater depth of field. The camera adjusts automatically based on the scene, and photographers can also manually select from four aperture settings in the Camera app.

Apple is making an API available so that third-party camera apps can control the aperture across a wider range. The Camera app also adds manual controls for shutter speed and white balance, along with a live histogram.

The iPhone 18 Pro carries a 48MP telephoto with up to 5x optical zoom, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max reaches up to 10x. On the front, a new 24MP FaceTime camera replaces the previous 18MP sensor.

Apple did not announce changes to the Ultra Wide camera.

A20 Pro chip

Both models are powered by the A20 Pro, Apple's first chip built on a 2-nanometer process.

It combines a 6-core CPU with a 7-core GPU and a dual 16-core Neural Engine. Apple says the chip has 50 percent more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro, up to 40 percent faster graphics, and twice the AI processing power through its 32 Neural Engine cores.

The A20 Pro uses a packaging design that places the die beside the memory, which takes the memory out of the chip's thermal path. The die connects directly to a redesigned vapor chamber that Apple says has three times the surface area of the one in the iPhone 17 Pro, enabling up to 40 percent higher sustained performance.

An Apple-designed N1 wireless chip supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, and the phones use Apple's C2 modem.

Design and Dynamic Island

The Dynamic Island is roughly 20 percent smaller on the new models. Apple introduced the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro in 2022, and this is the first time it has been reduced in size. The overall design otherwise stays close to the iPhone 17 Pro generation.

Battery life

Apple rates the iPhone 18 Pro at up to 36 hours of video playback and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at up to 45 hours. Both phones are eSIM-only, and wired charging reaches 50 percent in about 15 minutes.

Software

The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max ship with iOS 27, which includes the new Siri AI features. Apple says the phones were built for Siri AI. iOS 27 is available as a free update on September 14 for existing devices.

Pricing, storage, and colors

The 6.3-inch iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the 6.9-inch iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299.

Both are offered in 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage capacities. Apple attributes the $100 price increase to rising memory costs.

The phones come in four finishes: black, silver, glacier, and a new burgundy.

Pre-orders open Saturday, September 12, with availability on Friday, September 18 in more than 65 countries, and 20 more markets following on September 25.