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Through the looking glass: A new camera with the first-ever aperture controls on an iPhone is the main star of this year's iPhone presentation. With the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple is introducing a more versatile camera, more powerful photo-customization software, and yet another tech giant's attempt to distinguish authentic images from AI-generated creations.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max open on September 12, with availability beginning September 18 starting at $1,199. As previously rumored, Apple seems to have delayed the standard iPhone 18 until next year.
The iPhone 18 Pro is the first iPhone to support aperture control. With six blades and a new sensor, users can smoothly switch between ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0 apertures to control lighting and depth of field, as well as enhance low-light photography.
Users can also apply new texture styles and cinematic effects to videos recorded at up to 60fps. Additionally, time-lapse mode now supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR recording. Meanwhile, the new iPhone adjusts the Dynamic Island to show up to three Live Activities simultaneously while still enabling Face ID.
Like Google and other developers, Apple also aims to provide a tool for watermarking AI-edited photos and verifying unaltered images. Apple Reference Image creates a duplicate of each new photo with cloud-processed, signed sensor data to prevent editing. Users can compare it with the copy they normally use to check for changes. A new API also makes reference images available to third-party apps, but the feature's resilience against ever-evolving AI tools in the wild remains untested.
The processor in this year's iPhone also receives another die shrink. The A20 Pro features TSMC's new 2-nanometer process, increasing memory bandwidth by 50% and GPU performance by 40% over the iPhone 17 Pro's A19 Pro. A new dual 16-core Neural Engine also enhances photography and AI performance, powering the iPhone 18's new photo features and iOS 27's AI-powered Siri.
A new vapor chamber improves thermal performance by 40%, while a new battery design extends the iPhone 18 Pro's maximum battery life to 36 hours and the iPhone 18 Pro Max's to 45 hours. The standard model can charge to 50% in approximately 15 minutes via a wired connection or 30 minutes wirelessly.
Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and a new 2TB tier. Available colors include burgundy, glacier, silver, and black.
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