iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: All the Facts on Price, Camera and A20 Pro
Image: Kyu3a / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
In short: The iPhone 18 Pro (6.3 inches) and iPhone 18 Pro Max (6.9 inches) have been on sale since 18 September 2026. At their heart is the A20 Pro, Apple's first chip built on a 2-nanometre process. For the first time, the main camera has a variable aperture from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4.0, and the body is once again an aluminium unibody. In Germany the iPhone 18 Pro starts at €1,449 and the Pro Max at €1,599. In the US prices rose by $100 to $1,199 and $1,299. A 2 TB option is new.
What Apple announced on 9 September 2026
Apple announced the new Pro models on 9 September 2026. Pre-orders opened on 12 September and the phones went on sale on 18 September. They were introduced alongside Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo, which shipped later. The regular iPhone 18 was missing from the event; according to reports it is expected in spring 2027 (see our iPhone 18 lineup overview). The colours are black, silver, glacier and burgundy, and storage ranges from 256 GB to 2 TB.
Prices in Germany
| Storage | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 256 GB | €1,449 | €1,599 |
| 512 GB | €1,699 | €1,849 |
| 1 TB | €2,199 | €2,349 |
| 2 TB | €2,949 | €3,099 |
These prices come from Apple's German online store as of 22 October 2026.
A20 Pro: the first 2 nm chip in an iPhone
A smaller manufacturing process means more transistors per area and usually lower power draw. Apple's key figures:
- CPU: 6 cores
- GPU: 7 cores with Neural Accelerators, up to 40 percent faster than the A19 Pro
- Neural Engine: "Dual 16-core", two 16-core blocks for AI workloads
- Memory: 50 percent more memory bandwidth
In practice, more Apple Intelligence features run on the device, and ray-traced games benefit from the stronger GPU. Independent long-term thermal tests are still pending, so treat the manufacturer's numbers as best-case figures.
N1 and C2 radios
Apple's own N1 chip handles Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread, which is useful for a Matter-based smart home. Apple says the C2 modem uses about 15 percent less energy than the C1X. mmWave 5G is supported in the US only.
Camera: a variable aperture
The 48 MP Fusion main camera now offers aperture steps of ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/4.0. The aperture is the opening that lets light reach the sensor. A wide opening gathers more light and blurs the background. A narrow one keeps more of the scene in focus, which helps with group shots, landscapes and close-ups. Until now iPhones simulated this in software; now it happens optically.
- 48 MP Fusion main camera with variable aperture
- 48 MP ultra wide
- 48 MP 4x telephoto (100 mm)
- 8x "optical-quality" zoom via a sensor crop
- 18 MP Center Stage front camera
Display, design and battery
The 6.3-inch ProMotion display has a resolution of 2622 × 1206 pixels, refreshes at up to 120 Hz and reaches 3000 nits outdoors. The Dynamic Island is slightly smaller. The Pro measures 150.0 × 71.9 × 8.75 mm, weighs 211 g and is rated IP68 to a depth of 6 metres. Apple quotes up to 36 hours of video playback for the Pro and 45 hours for the Pro Max on eSIM models. With a 60 W adapter it charges to 50 percent in about 15 minutes.
Should you upgrade?
- iPhone 15 Pro or older: yes. You gain much better battery life, a better telephoto camera, Wi-Fi 7 and full Apple Intelligence support.
- iPhone 16 Pro: mainly if photography matters to you.
- iPhone 17 Pro: the differences are small, so waiting another year is reasonable.
Note that Apple says Siri AI will not initially be available in the EU with iOS 27; see Siri AI in Europe. More stories are in our iPhone section.
Verdict
The iPhone 18 Pro is a focused camera and efficiency upgrade. The variable aperture is a real gain for photographers, and the A20 Pro adds headroom for years to come. Higher prices and the delayed Siri features in the EU take some of the shine off, but for owners of older models it is one of the most complete Pro iPhones in years.
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