Apple Unveils iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max: A20 Pro, Adjustable Aperture, and Up to 45 Hours of Video

Apple held its main fall event, unveiling the flagship iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. The new generation retains the overall design language of last year’s models but gets a major internal overhaul: the industry’s first 2nm A20 Pro chip with a doubled Neural Engine, a larger vapor chamber, record battery life of up to 45 hours, and the first main camera in Apple’s history with a physically adjustable aperture.

At the same time, the lineup has gotten more expensive: both models are $100 pricier than their predecessors, and the base storage now starts at 256GB.

Camera: Variable Aperture with Blades and Manual Controls

The main technological breakthrough of the lineup is the upgraded 48MP Fusion sensor. For the first time in an iPhone, the lens features a mechanical variable aperture with six tiny moving blades.

According to The Verge, the mechanism physically controls the amount of light reaching the sensor:

• In low light or at night, the blades open fully, allowing for shorter shutter speeds and fewer blurred shots of moving subjects;
• In bright daylight, the aperture closes down, increasing depth of field for sharp group portraits and macro shots.

The stock Camera app now offers expanded manual exposure and shutter speed controls for both photos and video. Videographers get support for 4K Timelapse in Dolby Vision HDR.

Photographic Styles now include fine sliders for adjusting micro-texture and film grain. The 18MP front-facing Center Stage camera with subject tracking carries over unchanged from the previous generation.

A20 Pro Chip: 2nm, Dual Neural Engine, and New Cooling

At the heart of the flagships is the Apple A20 Pro, built on a cutting-edge 2nm process. The chip features a 6-core CPU with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, plus a 7-core GPU that delivers up to 40% faster gaming performance than the A19 Pro.

The most unusual architectural detail is the split neural computing: Apple has integrated two Neural Engine blocks with a combined 32 cores. This is designed to accelerate on-device Apple Intelligence models and the revamped Siri AI assistant.

To prevent thermal throttling during sustained workloads, Apple redesigned the internal cooling: the copper vapor chamber inside the titanium-aluminum chassis is roughly three times larger than in the iPhone 17 Pro.

Battery Life: Up to 45 Hours of Video and Fast Charging

The flagships offer the longest battery life of any iPhone:

• iPhone 18 Pro: up to 36 hours of continuous video playback (matching last year’s 17 Pro Max);
• iPhone 18 Pro Max: up to 45 hours of video playback.

Wired charging has also gotten faster: a 15-minute charge provides enough power for six hours of continuous video playback.

Colors, a Smaller Dynamic Island, and Siri AI

The phones keep the matte glass back, which is now color-matched to the frame. According to 9to5Mac, the color options are Space Black, Silver, Light Blue, and Deep Red.

The Dynamic Island cutout is physically smaller thanks to reduced Face ID sensors. The software now supports up to three interactive Live Activities widgets at once.

The flagships will be the primary showcase for the updated Siri AI within the Apple Intelligence ecosystem. The voice assistant can now analyze on-screen context, search local databases, and execute complex multi-step actions in third-party apps entirely on the device.

🚨📲 OFFICIEL

APPLE dévoile l’IPHONE 18 PRO en direct de la KEYNOTE !! #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/sKxomGthT6

— Kultur (@Kulturlesite_) September 9, 2026

Pricing and Availability

The 128GB base storage is gone for good — both models start at 256GB.

Official US prices:

• iPhone 18 Pro (256GB) — $1,199 ($100 more than the 17 Pro);
• iPhone 18 Pro Max (256GB) — $1,299 ($100 more than the 17 Pro Max).

According to Tom’s Guide, pre-orders in first-wave countries open on September 12, with retail availability and first deliveries starting September 18, 2026.