It’s routine by now, but September is reserved for yearly iPhone refreshes. Like clockwork, Apple unveiled its latest generation of smartphones during its “Surprise and Shine” event, featuring a rebuilt top system-on-a-chip and the not-so-secret iPhone Duo foldable device. No love for the base model, though.
For starters, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are powered by the A20 Pro chip, which the Cupertino giant claims is “desktop-class” and the “fastest CPU in a smartphone”. The A20 Pro is also the first 2-nanometre processor in an iPhone and boasts a 6-core CPU, including two new Super Cores touted to be 20 percent faster, a 7-core GPU for 40 percent faster graphics performance, and a second Neural Engine for a total of 32 NPU cores. Per Apple, users can expect 40 percent sustained performance over the iPhone 17 Pro and a 50 percent increase in memory bandwidth overall.
Additionally, the pair sports a next-generation vapour chamber with three times the surface area as their predecessor for improved thermal performance during high-end gaming. The upgraded batteries now support 30 hours (36 hours on the eSIM-only model) and 45 hours of video playback on the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, respectively, with 15 minutes of wired charging providing 50 percent charge for the former.
Imaging performance, similarly, is a step up from before. In what’s described as “the biggest camera improvement in years,” the 48-megapixel (MP) Fusion Main shooter features a variable aperture for the first time, allowing shutterbugs to manually adjust any of the four settings in the Camera app. Meanwhile, the all-new sensor promises better low-light photography and crisper detail, with videography extending to 4K timelapse and cinematic effects. For those who value creative freedom, Pro Control includes manual controls such as white balance, histogram, and shutter speed.
Alongside image metadata and upcoming support for the SynthID standard to help identify images generated or edited with AI, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will debut Apple Reference Image, which uses signed sensor data to prove the authenticity of a photo taken on the phones. AI, of course, remains the focus here, with the Photos app adding new and improved features, including Extend and Spatial Reframing to change perspective after a photo is taken.
On the software front, Siri AI now offers more accurate system-wide dictation and custom pace and expressivity options, and is built into the camera to allow on-screen awareness. iPhone Hand-off, which supports the same contact number between two iPhones, is a nifty addition to the iOS 27 suite, joining existing features such as Child Safety, customisable Liquid Glass, 80 percent faster AirDrop transfers, and more. Elsewhere, the Dynamic Island is smaller but can display three live activities concurrently.
The iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max will come in four colours: Black and Silver, plus the all-new Glacier and Burgundy. Pre-orders open on 12 September, with availability beginning on 18 September. Prices start at S$1,899 and S$2,099 for 256GB of storage, respectively.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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Kevin Low
