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Apple should grace us with the iPhone 18 Pro as usual later this year, but what exactly this new generation of iPhone will bring is still hard to say. But luckily for us, we have leakers and tipsters to help us paint a picture.
Thought to be one of a trio of phones that Apple will show off in its habitual September showcase, the iPhone 18 Pro is likely to once again be a small but capable flagship phone, with upgrades like under-display Face ID, upgraded cameras and a more powerful chipset among those currently rumored.
iPhone 18 Pro: Possible release date and price rumors
There are no specific launch date rumors yet for the iPhone 18 Pro. But it's assumed that, as in previous years, Apple will launch the new Pro in early September, along with the iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Fold.
Currently it costs $1,099 for a standard 256GB iPhone 17 Pro, but the iPhone 18 Pro could cost more than that. Analysts are warning of a possible price hike for this year's iPhones, like all other computing products, due to RAM price increases worldwide, plus the possibility of Apple's new chipset costing more to make. However, other sources have suggested that a price increase could come only to models with higher storage capacity, so Apple can keep the entry price the same as last year while recouping some of its increased manufacturing costs.
iPhone 18 Pro: Design and display
Pro iPhones have measured 6.3 inches for the past two generations, and we believe that Apple won't shift from that with the iPhone 18 Pro. Likewise, the new design language and aluminum construction we saw introduced with the iPhone 17 Pro should be sticking around. But some changes have still been tipped.
For one, the two-tone look of the iPhone 17 Pro could be reduced for the iPhone 18 Pro, with the glass portion of the back panel better matching the color of the metal section. There's also talk of some kind of transparent finish being applied to the back panel, which sounds like another thing that will make the iPhone 18 Pro easy to tell apart from the iPhone 17 Pro.
Apple could also make the iPhone 18 Pro stand out with a new selection of colors. The main rumor right now is that burgundy, purple and brown could be the color offerings this year, which would meaning no returning colors from the iPhone 17 Pro's options of orange, blue and silver.
Although the iPhone 18 Pro's display may not change in terms of size or resolution (at least according to the rumors as they stand), we could still see a big alteration in the form of under-display Face ID. After almost a decade of big notch or Dynamic Island cut-outs, Apple may hide its facial recognition sensors under the screen, with only the selfie camera left visible.
iPhone 18 Pro: Cameras
It appears that we won't get a big camera sensor upgrade with the iPhone 18 Pro. It should carry the same trio of 48MP units covering main, ultrawide and 4x telephoto duties, plus an 18MP Center Stage front camera as the iPhone 17 Pro. But two big changes outside of this could still impact photography on the new Pro iPhones.
One is the potential addition of a variable aperture to the main camera, although one source has claimed this could just be for the Pro Max, not both Pro models. We hope it appears on the smaller Pro though, as the option to adjust how much light shines on the camera sensor will give users a level of control over image brightness and depth of field that they've not had before.
The other is a Camera Control adjustment. This button has proved controversial since it was added on the iPhone 16 Pro, but the iPhone 18 Pro could refine it by removing its capacitive capabilities, but without removing any of its setting-altering abilities.
iPhone 18 Pro: Performance
Apple is believed to be introducing a new A20 Pro chipset to use in the iPhone 18 Pro. This silicon is believed to be built on a 2nm process — a more compact design that should mean greater power efficiency and higher performance. This will supposedly be joined by 12GB RAM, just like the iPhone 17 Pro.
Another new chip in the iPhone 18 Pro will apparently be the Apple-made C2 modem, the upgraded version of the C1 and C1X modems used in the iPhone 16e and iPhone Air. This will hopefully mean more stable, speedier and more efficient cellular connectivity.
But for when you need to send messages while off the grid, the iPhone 18 Pro's rumored 5G satellite connectivity could help. The iPhone's satellite capabilities currently extend only to sending emergency alerts and limited iMessages, so the ability to communicate more freely could come in more than a little handy in an emergency.
iPhone 18 Pro: Outlook
We already have enough alleged details about the iPhone 18 Pro to get excited. Other than the possibility of an increased price, we are curious if upgrades like the new chip, variable main camera aperture and under-display Face ID are real, and how exactly they'll perform in the real world.
You can read more about the rumored upgrades for the iPhone Class of 2026 in our iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Fold hubs. If you're curious about the standard iPhone 18, then we have a guide on that model as well, but it may be launching in 2027 if the release rumors are to be believed.
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