The two biggest upgrades in the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are hidden behind the glass: a main camera that can physically change its aperture, and a processor built on a 2-nanometer process. Together they explain why Apple is calling this its most advanced Pro camera system yet.
The camera finally gets a real aperture
The 48MP Fusion main camera now uses six laser-cut blades to move between f/1.48 and f/4. In automatic mode the phone adjusts the opening for lighting and depth of field on its own; in the Camera app, photographers can pick from four aperture settings by hand. A new Pro Controls set adds manual shutter speed, white balance and a histogram for checking exposure.
The Pro Max also gets a 48MP periscope telephoto that reaches up to 10x optical zoom, according to GSMArena. On the video side, Apple says cinematic effects can be applied after capture at up to 60fps, and time-lapse now records in 4K Dolby Vision HDR.
A new opt-in feature called Apple Reference Image uses the main sensor to sign pixel data at the moment of capture. Apple says the signed data is processed through Private Cloud Compute into an unalterable reference image, a kind of digital negative meant to prove a photo was not generated or manipulated.
A20 Pro: the numbers
The A20 Pro is Apple's first 2nm smartphone chip. Apple lists:
- 6-core CPU with integrated Neural Accelerators
- 7-core GPU, up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro
- Dual 16-core Neural Engine (32 cores total), twice the AI throughput of the A19 Pro
- 50 percent more memory bandwidth
- A vapor chamber with three times the surface area for sustained performance
Battery and connectivity
Apple rates the iPhone 18 Pro at up to 36 hours of video playback and the Pro Max at up to 45 hours. Wired fast charging reaches 50 percent in about 15 minutes. A new N1 chip handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, while Apple's second-generation C2 modem promises faster uploads at 15 percent lower energy use and adds mmWave support in the U.S. Both phones are eSIM-only in the U.S. and go on sale September 18.
Source: Apple Newsroom, GSMArena
Photo: Apple (source)
