Apple launched the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its September 2026 event. The smartphones are now available across India and global markets for purchase. While the handsets were released with a range of hardware upgrades, bugs were reported in iOS 27, which Apple patched with a software update.
However, it appears this could be a reason for a large number of replacements and a few refunds in South Korea. According to a CHOSUNBIZ exclusive, the iPhone 18 Pro series models witnessed roughly 1,500 exchange cases and around 50 refunds within 11 days of launch in the South Korean market.
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The primary reason was the sudden restarting issue in the models, cited as the “Panic Full” (translated from Korean to English) phenomenon. Citing Apple’s data, the report noted that replacements and refunds were issued between September 18 and September 28 for problems reported to AppleCare.
However, Apple reportedly issued a fix for the “panic pooling”, an instance where the iPhone 18 Pro series would suddenly freeze, turn off and later restart. On September 29, the company rolled out the iOS 27.0.1 update to fix “unexpected restarts” if FaceID fails to successfully authenticate the user.
The news outlet reports that some users still continue to report the problem, alongside a new app-crashing issue after the update. While the FaceID-linked restart issue is fixed in Apple’s books, the company said subsequent defects can be resolved via general consumer dispute resolution methods.
Users who purchased the iPhone 18 Pro series via Apple’s official channels can reportedly exchange or ask for a refund within 14 days, regardless of whether a problem persists in the device or not, in the Korean market. For buyers who purchased the device from third-party channels, confirmation of the defect should be endorsed by the service center to process the refund.
Coming to India, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,990 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at Rs 1,79,900. These handsets debuted at a significantly higher price than their predecessors, the iPhone 17 Pro (Rs 1,34,900) and iPhone 17 Pro Max (Rs 1,49,900).