Apple iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max launched; India price starts at Rs.1,64,900 with A20 Pro 2nm SoC, variable aperture camera
Apple has officially launched its latest iPhone in the 18 Pro series, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max in the Global Market, including India. It brings a range of hardware and software upgrades focused on computational photography, sustained performance, battery endurance, and artificial intelligence capabilities.
Camera Hardware and Image Verification
The biggest camera upgrade comes in the form of a new 48MP Fusion Main camera featuring a mechanical variable aperture system.
Variable Aperture System: The camera uses six laser-cut blades with a newly developed rotor mechanism to automatically or manually regulate light intake and depth of field. Users can select from four preset aperture stops, with the aperture opening as wide as ƒ/1.48 to improve low-light photography.
Pro Controls and Video: The camera app now provides manual controls for shutter speed, white balance, aperture selection, and an on-screen histogram. Video features include post-capture Cinematic effects at up to 60fps, 4K Dolby Vision HDR time-lapse recording, and algorithm-based audio separation for isolating dialogue or music.
Apple Reference Image and Provenance: The new sensor adds cryptographic signing to captured pixel data. The information is processed through Private Cloud Compute to create an immutable reference image that is available alongside the original asset in the Photos app, allowing users to identify subsequent post-processing. The system also supports metadata tracking compatible with the SynthID standard.
Silicon, Thermal Architecture, and Networking
Both iPhone 18 Pro models are powered by Apple's new A20 Pro chip, which is manufactured using a 2-nanometer process.
Architecture: The A20 Pro features a 6-core CPU with Neural Accelerators, a 7-core GPU capable of delivering up to 40% faster rendering than the A19 Pro, and a Dual 16-core Neural Engine designed to handle on-device AI workloads. Memory bandwidth has also increased by 50% compared with the previous generation.
Thermal Design: Apple has positioned the silicon die next to the system memory rather than stacking the components. This configuration moves the memory away from the primary heat path. The design works with a redesigned vapor chamber that provides three times the surface area of the one used in the iPhone 17 Pro, enabling up to a 40% improvement in sustained performance.
Connectivity: Wireless connectivity is managed by Apple's proprietary N1 chip, which supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Cellular connectivity is handled by the C2 modem, which is claimed to consume 15% less power than the C1X and supports U.S. mmWave bands.
Display, Battery, and Form Factor
The new iPhone Pro models feature a redesigned Dynamic Island with a smaller footprint. It can display up to three Live Activities simultaneously while continuing to accommodate the Face ID sensor hardware.
| Metric | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
| Video Playback (eSIM models) | Up to 36 hours | Up to 45 hours |
| Standard Usage Metric (eSIM models) | Up to 24 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| Wired Charging | 50% in around 15 minutes | 50% in around 15 minutes |
| Wireless Charging | 50% in around 30 minutes | 50% in around 30 minutes |
eSIM-only versions will be introduced in 12 countries and territories. By eliminating the physical SIM tray, Apple has been able to use the additional internal space for larger battery cells, delivering approximately two extra hours of video playback.
Software and Environmental Standards
The iPhone 18 Pro series ships with iOS 27 and introduces a beta version of an AI-powered Siri experience built around Apple Intelligence. The updated assistant offers awareness of on-screen content, cross-app context retrieval, and a dedicated camera analysis mode.
Other software additions include multi-device iPhone Handoff for sharing phone numbers, expanded parental management controls, and a new Safari Notify Me feature for tracking updates to web pages.
Apple has also increased the use of recycled materials in the new models. The devices contain 40% recycled material by total weight, including 100% recycled cobalt in the battery cells and 85% recycled aluminum in the enclosures. The packaging is plastic-free and uses fiber-based materials.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max Specifications
| Display | 6.3-inch (2622×1206 pixels) / 6.9-inch (2868×1320 pixels) OLED Super Retina XDR display, 460ppi, 1000 nits maximum brightness, 1600 nits peak brightness, up to 3000 nits peak outdoor brightness, HDR, True Tone, Dynamic Island, Always-On display, ProMotion technology with adaptive refresh rates up to 120Hz, Ceramic Shield 2 protection |
| Processor | Six-core A20 Pro chip with 2 performance and 4 efficiency cores, built on a 2nm process, 64-bit architecture |
| GPU | 7-core GPU with Neural Accelerators |
| Neural Engine | Dual 16-core Neural Engine |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Operating System | iOS 27 |
| Water and Dust Resistance | IP68 |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM + eSIM) |
| Camera | 48MP Pro Fusion Main wide-angle camera with ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0 variable aperture, second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 2x Telephoto, 100% Focus Pixels, Photonic Engine, True Tone flash; 48MP Fusion 120° Ultra Wide camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture and autofocus; 48MP Fusion Telephoto camera with ƒ/2.8 aperture and optical image stabilization; 8x optical-quality zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 16x optical-quality zoom range, and digital zoom up to 40x |
| Front Camera | 18MP ƒ/1.9 Center Stage camera with autofocus and Focus Pixels, Retina Flash, HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60fps, 1080p slow-motion video recording at 120fps |
| Video Recording | 4K Dolby Vision video recording at up to 120fps, Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60fps, Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30fps, slow-motion video recording at 1080p up to 240fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120fps |
| Biometrics | TrueDepth camera for Face ID facial recognition |
| Audio | Stereo speakers |
| Action Button | Silent mode, Focus, Camera, Flashlight, Voice Memo, Recognise Music, Translate, Magnifier, Controls, Shortcut, Accessibility |
| Camera Controls | Exposure, Depth, Zoom, Cameras, Styles, Tone |
| Dimensions | iPhone 18 Pro: 150×71.9×8.75mm iPhone 18 Pro Max: 163.4×78×8.75mm |
| Weight | iPhone 18 Pro: 211g iPhone 18 Pro Max: 249g |
| Cellular Connectivity | Apple C2 cellular modem, 5G sub-6GHz with 4×4 MIMO, Gigabit-class LTE |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11be Wi-Fi 7 with 2×2 MIMO |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 6 |
| Ultra Wideband | Second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness |
| Other Connectivity | Thread networking technology, NFC with reader mode |
| Navigation | Dual-frequency GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou and NavIC |
| Battery | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
| Wireless Charging | MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging up to 25W |
| Wired Charging | USB-C fast charging, 50% charge in around 15 minutes with a 60W adapter or higher |
| Video Playback | Up to 34 hours on iPhone 18 Pro and up to 43 hours on iPhone 18 Pro Max |
Pricing and Availability
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are offered in Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy colour options, with storage configurations ranging from 256GB to 2TB.
The iPhone 18 Pro series will be available through apple.com/store and the Apple Store app. Pre-orders will begin on Saturday, September 12, while retail sales will start on Friday, September 18, across more than 65 countries and regions.
iPhone 18 Pro Prices are -
- 256GB storage version - Rs. 1,64,900
- 512GB storage version - Rs. 1,89,900
- 1TB storage version - Rs. 2,39,900
- 2TB storage version - Rs. 3,14,900
iPhone 18 Pro Max Prices are -
- 256GB storage version - Rs. 1,79,900
- 512GB storage version - Rs. 2,04,900
- 1TB storage version - Rs. 2,54,900
- 2TB storage version - Rs. 3,29,900
