It is a strange situation for the iPhone 18 Pro. Usually the centrepiece of Apple’s iPhone event each year, the flagship smartphone has found itself usurped by a newcomer – the upcoming iPhone Duo that is set to hit the market next month.
So it has been relegated to second place, being neither the most interesting device that Apple will launch this cycle, nor the cheapest. That honour will go to the devices that Apple is expected to unveil in the first half of next year, as it has usually done for the past few years.
It doesn’t mean that the iPhone 18 Pro isn’t worth considering. The Duo will probably be a niche device, thanks to the eye-watering price and the sacrifices that have to be made to get to that folding phone format. That leaves plenty of room for the iPhone 18 Pro to mop up the demand for Apple’s premium smartphones, but on a tighter budget than the Duo allows.
If you have already invested in an iPhone 17 or 16 Pro in the past couple of years, an upgrade to the 18 Pro probably isn’t – or shouldn’t be – on the cards. The new iPhone doesn’t bring enough of a leap in terms of performance or features that it would warrant an upgrade from either of those devices. The improvements are incremental or aimed at a niche audience.
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So what exactly is Apple offering?
[ ‘Duo is the most pricey iPhone to date’: reactions to Apple’s foldable phoneOpens in new window ]
First the nerdy stuff. The new iPhone has, as expected, the new A20 chip. That comes with a seven core GPU and is built in the 2 nanometre process. It’s also has a dual neural engine. In practical terms, what does that mean? It means the new iPhone will work faster and more efficiently than its predecessor, although not noticeably enough that it is worth ditching the iPhone 17 Pro. Apple has once again improved how the phone deals with heat, and at the same time improved the battery life by a few hours.
Camera improvements usually get attention. If you are a fan of pro controls on your smartphone’s camera, the iPhone 18 Pro won’t disappoint. The new device gives you a physically adjustable aperture. That means better depth of field and improved low light, and if you like to exert a bit of control over your images, you can ditch the automatic option and twiddle about with the settings.
The dynamic island has also been redesigned, adding a third live activity but making the area it takes up a bit smaller. You get screen space back, while still getting the use out of the feature.
For EU users, one of the big upgrades that comes with iOS 27 – the smarter Siri – will not be available for the time being. That is down to ongoing discussions with the EU over access for third-party digital assistants. Until those discussions play out, we are stuck with a slightly smarter but still quite irritating version of Apple’s digital assistant. That is across the board for iOS 27, however, and not just the iPhone 18 Pro.
At the heart of it, the iPhone 18 Pro is an excellent smartphone but the changes are incremental. The cases from the iPhone 17 Pro will even fit the updated phone.
Good
The iPhone 18 Pro is another solid smartphone, with a few extra features and upgrades that justify slapping a new number on it. The adjustable aperture will keep photography fans happy, while the improved battery life will squeeze more out of the day.
Bad
If you were looking for a big leap, that has been saved for the Duo. This is more of the same from Apple, which isn’t necessarily negative, but lacks a bit of the magic and unexpectedness that the iPhone used to have.
Everything else
Upgraded chips are great, but at the time of writing, the lack of the promised smarter Siri in the EU means you might not notice the improved performance as much.
It comes with a couple of new colours, including a nice glacier blue and a burgundy.
Verdict
A good upgrade from the iPhone 15 Pro or earlier.
