Apple on September 9, 2026 announced iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, a new Pro lineup powered by the A20 Pro, a chip built on 2-nanometer process technology that Apple said delivers 50 percent more memory bandwidth and double the AI processing power of the A19 Pro.
The two models, announced in Cupertino, California, come in black, silver, glacier, and a new burgundy finish. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, said the company made advancements in the areas users care about most: camera, performance, battery, and intelligence. He described iPhone 18 Pro as the best Pro iPhone Apple has made.
A20 Pro Performance and Thermal Design
Apple said A20 Pro sets a new bar for mobile computing. The chip’s new 6-core CPU features integrated Neural Accelerators, and Apple said it is faster than the competition. The new 7-core GPU design is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro, according to the company. A20 Pro also features a new Dual 16-core Neural Engine with 32 total cores, which Apple said delivers double the AI processing power of the A19 Pro. Apple said the Neural Engine accelerates on-device AI models and computational photography, and described the chip as built for workloads ranging from more advanced on-device AI to demanding games.
A20 Pro introduces custom packaging inspired by Apple’s M-series silicon, placing the silicon die side by side with the memory. Apple said this design removes the memory from the chip’s thermal path and allows A20 Pro to attach directly to a next-generation vapor chamber. Built with new materials and three times more surface area than the previous generation on iPhone 17 Pro, the redesigned vapor chamber enables up to a 40 percent gain in sustained performance over the previous generation, according to Apple, which called it the highest sustained performance yet on an iPhone.
Wireless Chips and Battery Life
Both models include N1, an Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. iPhone 18 Pro also introduces C2, Apple’s next-generation cellular modem system, which the company said brings AI-powered improvements to cellular quality and reliability. According to Apple, C2 delivers meaningfully faster uploads than the C1X while consuming 15 percent less energy, and it supports mmWave in the U.S.
Apple said eSIM-only models deliver up to 36 hours of video playback on iPhone 18 Pro and up to 45 hours on iPhone 18 Pro Max, which the company described as the largest increase in battery life ever on an iPhone. iPhone 18 Pro can charge up to 50 percent in around 15 minutes over a wired connection, or up to 50 percent in 30 minutes wirelessly, according to Apple. The company said five minutes of wired charging on iPhone 18 Pro Max provides around seven hours of video playback, and that under a new battery usage model based on real-world data, the larger model reaches up to 30 hours of usage on a full charge.
Apple’s footnotes state that charge testing was conducted in July 2026 and battery testing in August 2026, in both cases using preproduction units and software, and that actual results will vary.
Camera System and Apple Reference Image
The new 48MP Fusion Main camera brings variable aperture, which Apple said delivers aperture control on iPhone for the first time. Six laser-cut blades transition between four aperture settings that users can adjust manually in the Camera app, and a developer API extends control across the aperture range to third-party apps.
With Apple Reference Image, an opt-in feature, the Main camera’s sensor signs every pixel it captures. Photos taken in the new Reference mode produce signed sensor data that Private Cloud Compute develops into an unalterable reference image, which appears in the Photos app alongside the main image like a digital negative so viewers can compare the two. APIs in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 27 let third-party apps display reference images.
The feature will not be available in China at launch because of regulatory requirements, and capture will not be available in the EU at launch, though users there on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 will be able to develop and view reference images. Apple said image metadata and support for the SynthID standard, expected in a software update later in 2026, can also help users identify images generated or edited with AI.
The redesigned Dynamic Island is smaller and can show three Live Activities at once while continuing to enable Face ID for unlocking the phone, authenticating purchases, and signing in to apps.
Siri AI, Pricing, and Availability
Both models run iOS 27 with Apple Intelligence and give users access to Siri AI, which Apple described as an entirely new version of Siri that is more personal, capable, and conversational. iOS 27 arrives as a free software update on September 14, 2026, and Siri AI rolls out in beta the same day, starting in English, with French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish support coming in October 2026. Apple’s disclosures state that Siri AI will not initially be available in the EU on iOS and is not available to users under 13, and that certain Apple Intelligence features relying on server-side models, including Siri AI, carry daily usage limits, with expanded access to be available for a fee in the future.
iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299 in the U.S., with 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage capacities. Apple said both models are built with 40 percent recycled content overall, including 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery and 85 percent recycled aluminum in the enclosure, and are manufactured with 50 percent renewable energy across the supply chain.
Pre-orders begin September 12, 2026 at 5 a.m. PT in more than 65 countries and regions, with availability beginning September 18, 2026. eSIM-only models will be available in Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the U.S., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, using the space formerly occupied by the physical SIM for a larger battery that Apple said provides two additional hours of video playback. The two models reach 20 additional countries and regions on September 25, 2026.
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