While the foldable iPhone Ultra may be taking a lot of the spotlight, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still on the way — having just been revealed at Apple's "Surprise and shine" launch event. The show is still ongoing, so we're still waiting on a bunch of the details, but there's still plenty to be excited about from these non-folding phones.
Apple kicked off the Surprise and shine event by revealing the iPhone 18 Pro, and naturally Siri was top of the agenda. But we also saw some clues of what Apple has to offer during the initial sizzle reel, including variable aperture, the more powerful A20 Pro chipset and a choice of four colors — black, silver, light blue and burgundy.
Here's everything you need to know about iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max so far — and be sure to stay tuned for more details as Apple reveals them.
Siri AI
New details on Siri Ai have been pretty scant so far, with Apple rehashing a lot of the information we already heard at WWDC 2026. The 18 Pro has been built for Siri AI, and naturally it's able to use the newest and best features Siri has to offer.
This includes Expressive Voices and the improved dictation that is only available on a limited number of iPhones, meaning there's at least 12GB of RAM to power the on-device AI in this phone. There's also Siri mode in the camera, improved AI editing features, and the generative AI models powered by Image Playground.
A20 Pro
As expected the iPhone 18 Pro runs with an A20 Pro chipset, which is built for AI and offering a huge leap in performance. And it goes beyond the 2nm design that offers better transistor density.
The 6-core CPU has a pair of super cores that are 20% faster than before, alongside four efficiency cores. This helps enable low latency on-device AI performance, and Apple claims it will have the fastest CPUs on any smartphone. The seven core CPU will also offer 40% improved graphics performance, while the neural processor offers 2x faster performance than before.
On the subject of AI, Apple has added a second neural engine to the A20 Pro, offering 32 cores in total and double the processing power.
Heat dissipation is a big subject with the A20 Pro, and this year's chip is connected directly to the vapor chamber for better heat performance. The vapor chamber also has three times the surface area of iPhone 17 Pro's, and promises 40% more sustained performance in the process.
Cameras
The biggest change to the iPhone 18 Pro is the addition of variable aperture on the main camera lens. Resolution is still 48MP, but this year Apple has added a series of six blades over the lens that lets you control how much light actually enters the camera.
Those of you that aren't expert photographers will be happy to hear that those blades can also work automatically, ensuring enough light hits the sensor for the conditions you're in. Why does this matter? This helps improve camera performance in low-light by allowing the camera to capture more light. It also helps to improve depth of field, which is necessary for improving the background details in group photos and Portrait mode.
Aperture can also be adjusted manually thanks to Apple's new Pro camera controls. This means you can make adjustments to one of four aperture settings in the camera app. Those Pro controls also let you adjust other settings like white balance and shutter speed, as well as the ability to monitor light levels with an on-screen histogram.
Timelapse mode supports up to 4K resolution and Dolby Vision HDR, while Audio Mix offers new algorithms to offer higher quality voices and music isolation. Apple is making it possible to convert a video into Cinematic Mode (at up to 60fps) after the video has already been recorded. Photographic styles now offer new texture and grain controls, for even more creative control over your snaps.
There's also an on-device Smart tracking feature, similar to what we've seen on Galaxy Z Fold 8, that can track individual people in a video — even if they walk out of frame.
iPhone 18 Pro's camera will also feature something called Apple Reference Image, which identifies AI-edited content at a pixel-level. Apple says this is unalterable, and the information will be available in the Apple Photos app. Apple is also supporting the Synth ID standard, to help identify AI imagery from other devices.
On the front the Dynamic Island has shrunk, and now has the ability to display three different activities at once. There was no mention of under-display Face ID, which suggests this particular rumor didn't ring true.
Battery
Apple doesn't brag about battery specs the way other phone companies do, but it is promising big upgrades to the iPhone 18 Pro's battery. Batteries have been redesigned and offer more capacity than before, though we don't know by how much — other than the fact the iPhone 18 Pro Max has the largest battery increase of any iPhone.
Apple claims that the iPhone 18 Pro has an all-day battery life rivalling that of the iPhone 18 Pro. Specifically that means 24 hours of charge and 36 hours of video playback. Charging speed has also been increased, with Apple claiming the Pro can recoup 50% of its battery life in just 15 minutes.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is supposed to offer 30 hours of usage and 45 hours of video playback, which is actually pretty incredible when you think about it. It's unclear how fast it charges.
Price
I'm sad to say that there is a price hike this year, with prices starting at $1,199 for the iPhone 18 Pro and $1,299 for the Pro Max. That's a $100 price increase compared to last year.
Apple Upgrade plans start at $35 a month, and you can get up to $1,200 off if you trade-in an iPhone 14 or newer.
Pre-orders open this Saturday, September 12, ahead of a September 18 release date.
This is a developing story. Check back soon for more details.
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