Apple iPhone 18 Pro

Apple officially launched the iPhone 18 Pro at its "Surprise and shine" event on September 9, 2026, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Apple's first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. This was new Apple CEO John Ternus's first keynote, delivered eight days after he succeeded Tim Cook, who has moved into the role of executive chairman. Pre-orders open on September 12, 2026, with retail availability from September 18, 2026. As previously reported, the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e were not part of this launch and are expected to arrive separately in spring 2027. The iPhone 18 Pro is built around Apple's new A20 Pro chip, the company's first on a 2nm process, pairing a 6-core CPU with a 7-core GPU that Apple says is up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro, alongside a dual 16-core Neural Engine that doubles last year's on-device AI processing. A redesigned vapor chamber, attached directly to the chip, roughly triples the cooling surface area for sustained performance. The phone keeps its familiar 6.3-inch flat-front design with a Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED display, 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On, a smaller Dynamic Island, Ceramic Shield 2 glass, and a new anti-reflective coating. The headline camera change is a 48MP Fusion main camera with a variable aperture that moves between f/1.48 and f/4.0 using six laser-cut blades, paired with unchanged 48MP Ultra Wide and 48MP Telephoto lenses and offering 0.5x to 8x zoom options. Apple rates the eSIM-only model at up to 36 hours of video playback, with wired charging reaching 50 percent in about 15 minutes.

Confirmed Features of the Apple iPhone 18 Pro

• Apple A20 Pro chip (2nm) with a 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU, and dual 16-core Neural Engine
• 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR LTPO OLED display, 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On, smaller Dynamic Island, Ceramic Shield 2
• New vapor chamber cooling with roughly 3x the cooling surface area of the previous design
• Triple 48MP rear camera system, with a variable-aperture (f/1.48–f/4.0) main lens and manual aperture and shutter speed controls
• 18MP Center Stage front camera with Dual Capture and stabilised video, unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro
• Up to 36 hours of video playback, with 50% wired charging in around 15 minutes
• 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB storage options, IP68 rating, 199g weight
• Available in Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy

Apple iPhone 18 Pro Official Price in India

Variant	Storage	Official Price (India)
Base Variant	256GB	₹1,64,900
Higher Variant	512GB	₹1,89,900
Higher Variant	1TB	₹2,39,900
Top Variant	2TB	₹3,14,900

Note: The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 in the US, a $100 increase over the iPhone 17 Pro's launch price. In India, the base 256GB variant is priced at ₹1,64,900, a notable jump over the iPhone 17 Pro's ₹1,34,900 launch price. The phone is available for pre-order in India from September 12, 2026, with retail availability from September 18, 2026, in Black, Silver, Glacier, and Burgundy colourways. Pricing and specifications above are sourced directly from Apple's official announcement.

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Variable-aperture main camera with manual controls is a genuine first for the iPhone lineup	India price jumps by ₹30,000 over the iPhone 17 Pro, one of the steepest Pro-to-Pro increases yet
A20 Pro's 2nm process and redesigned cooling should mean a real jump in sustained performance	Ultra Wide and front cameras carry over unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro
New Burgundy colourway offers a genuinely fresh option after several years of similar finishes	Design remains largely familiar, with no major visual overhaul this generation
Smaller Dynamic Island frees up more usable screen space	Higher storage tiers (512GB, 1TB, 2TB) pricing wasn't detailed at the announcement
Fast 15-minute 50% charging is a meaningful everyday convenience upgrade	RAM capacity wasn't officially disclosed, as is typical for Apple's announcements

Apple iPhone 18 Pro vs iPhone 17 Pro (What's New)

Feature	iPhone 18 Pro	iPhone 17 Pro
Launch Date	September 9, 2026	September 2025
Processor	Apple A20 Pro (2nm)	Apple A19 Pro (3nm)
Display	6.3-inch OLED, 120Hz, smaller Dynamic Island	6.3-inch OLED, 120Hz ProMotion, larger Dynamic Island
Camera	48MP triple rear, variable-aperture (f/1.48–f/4.0) main lens with manual controls	48MP wide + 48MP ultrawide + 48MP telephoto, fixed aperture
Battery Life	Up to 36 hours video playback	Up to 33 hours video playback
Colours	Black, Silver, Glacier, Burgundy	Silver, Cosmic Orange, Deep Blue
Price (India)	₹1,64,900 (256GB)	₹1,34,900 (256GB)

Final Verdict

The iPhone 18 Pro's variable-aperture camera and A20 Pro chip are genuine, tangible upgrades rather than marketing dressing, and the new Burgundy finish gives the lineup a fresh identity. The steep ₹30,000 price increase over the iPhone 17 Pro is the main sticking point, making this a stronger upgrade case for iPhone 16 Pro or older owners than for anyone still happy with last year's model.