The iPhone 18 Pro is the smaller of two Pro models in Apple‘s fall 2026 lineup. Apple announced it on September 9, 2026, and sales began on September 18. The phone starts at $1,199 for 256GB, which is $100 more than the iPhone 17 Pro. It sits in the flagship segment, next to the larger iPhone 18 Pro Max.
Design and display
The phone uses an aluminum unibody design with Ceramic Shield 2 on the front and Ceramic Shield on the back. It measures 150.0 x 71.9 x 8.75 mm and weighs 211 grams. The body is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance.
The 6.3-inch OLED panel has a resolution of 2622 x 1206 pixels at 460 ppi. ProMotion adjusts the refresh rate up to 120Hz, and the screen supports an Always-On mode. Peak brightness reaches 3000 nits outdoors, and the minimum is 1 nit. Apple also redesigned the Dynamic Island. It is smaller and can show three Live Activities at once.
Performance
Inside is the Apple A20 Pro, built on a 2-nanometer process. It has a 6-core CPU with two super cores and four efficiency cores. The 7-core GPU is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro, according to Apple. The phone has 12GB of RAM, the same as its predecessor.
A new vapor chamber has three times more surface area than the one in the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple says it enables up to 40 percent better sustained performance. Storage options are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and a new 2TB tier. There is no memory card slot.
Cameras
The rear system has three 48MP cameras. The main camera is the first on an iPhone with variable aperture. Six blades switch between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0, and users can pick the setting manually in Pro controls. The main camera also has sensor-shift stabilization.
The 48MP ultrawide covers a 120-degree field of view. A 48MP tetraprism telephoto provides 4x optical zoom and 8x optical-quality zoom. The rear cameras record 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120 fps. On the front, an 18MP Center Stage camera records 4K video at 60 fps.
Battery and charging
The US model is eSIM-only and has a 4,288 mAh battery. Models with a physical SIM tray, sold in Europe and China, have a smaller 4,056 mAh cell. Apple rates the eSIM version for up to 36 hours of video playback.
With a 60W-capable adapter that supports Adjustable Voltage Supply, the phone charges to 50 percent in about 15 minutes. MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging run at up to 25W. The box includes only a USB-C cable, not a charger.
Software and updates
The iPhone 18 Pro ships with iOS 27 and Apple Intelligence. It also supports Siri AI, which launched in beta in English. Apple says Siri AI will not be available in the EU at first. Apple does not publish a fixed number of years of software support.
Should you buy the iPhone 18 Pro?
The iPhone 18 Pro suits buyers who want Apple’s full Pro camera system in a 6.3-inch body. The variable-aperture main camera and 4x telephoto give more control than the standard iPhone models. Buyers who want the longest battery life should also look at the iPhone 18 Pro Max, which has a larger battery. The 1TB and 2TB versions cost significantly more than the base model.
