Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max on Sept. 9, U.S. West Coast time. In Taiwan, the iPhone 18 Pro starts at NT$44,900, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at NT$49,900. Pre-orders open at 8 p.m. on Sept. 12, and retail sales begin on Sept. 18. There is no standard iPhone 18 this year. Just these two models.
In Apple’s news release, Greg Joswiak, the company’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, framed this year’s upgrades around four buckets: camera, performance, battery, and intelligence. The camera setup is the headline change. For the first time, Apple has put a variable aperture on the iPhone’s main camera.
Main camera gets four-step variable aperture
The 48MP Fusion main camera can shift among ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8, and ƒ/4.0. Apple said the lens opens wider in darker scenes to pull in more light, while narrower settings help boost depth of field in group photos.
Onstage, Apple said the system uses six laser-cut blades, each thinner than a strand of hair. Those blades are made from a custom polymer composite meant to balance mass, flexibility, and durability. A new rotor mechanism handles the movement, and Apple said custom lens elements help preserve image quality across every aperture setting. In low light, Apple said, widening the aperture increases light intake by about 50%.
Users do not have to tweak it themselves, though they can if they want. The phone adjusts aperture automatically based on the scene. There is also a new Pro control inside the Camera app for aperture, shutter speed, and white balance, plus a histogram to check how exposure is spread across the frame. Apple has opened an API too, so third-party apps can use the full aperture range.
Apple Reference Image targets photo professionals
Apple also rolled out Apple Reference Image. The new main camera sensor can sign photo data pixel by pixel at the instant the image is captured. In Reference mode, that signed data goes through Private Cloud Compute to create a reference image that cannot be altered.
The reference image sits in the Photos app beside the normal editable version. Apple said it works like a digital negative. Put the two next to each other, and you can see what changed between them. Apple is also adding APIs in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS 27 so third-party apps can examine these reference images.
Apple said future support is coming for the SynthID standard to identify images generated or edited by AI. The release said this feature set is aimed at photojournalists, photographers, and everyday viewers.
Video features expand to 60 fps capture
On the video side, Cinematic effects can now be applied to footage recorded at up to 60 fps, and the effect can be added after the fact. Time-lapse now supports 4K and Dolby Vision HDR. Audio Mix uses a new algorithm, and Apple said voice quality is better while music can now be isolated on its own.
A20 Pro moves to 2-nanometer process
The A20 Pro is built on a 2-nanometer process. It packs a 6-core CPU, a 7-core GPU, and a new dual 16-core Neural Engine, for 32 cores combined. Using the A19 Pro as the baseline, Apple said the GPU is up to 40% faster, AI processing is doubled, and memory bandwidth rises 50%. The CPU now has a neural accelerator built directly into the cores.
Apple said that memory bandwidth jump comes from a packaging redesign. It described it as the widest memory interface ever used in an iPhone. To get there, Apple changed the chip’s physical package, borrowing an M-series-style approach by putting the silicon die and memory side by side. That shifts memory out of the system-on-chip thermal path and lets the processor connect straight to the vapor chamber.
Vapor chamber is three times larger than on iPhone 17 Pro
The new vapor chamber has three times the surface area of the one in the iPhone 17 Pro generation, and it circulates deionized water inside. Apple said the chamber body uses 80% recycled stainless steel and is paired with higher-conductivity graphite. It also uses what Apple called an industry-first nano-twinned copper material to pull heat away from the display while keeping structural strength intact.
Apple said that leads to up to 40% higher sustained performance than the iPhone 17 Pro. Its claim: the highest sustained performance in iPhone history.
Pro Max posts Apple’s biggest battery gain on an iPhone
For the eSIM version, Apple listed video playback at up to 36 hours on the iPhone 18 Pro and up to 45 hours on the Pro Max. The company also built a new battery-use model from real-world usage data and said actual use per charge comes out to 24 hours for the Pro and 30 hours for the Pro Max.
Apple also said the smaller iPhone 18 Pro now matches the all-day battery life of last year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max. Wired charging gets to 50% in 15 minutes, and wireless charging reaches 50% in 30 minutes. On the Pro Max, five minutes of wired charging delivers about seven hours of video playback.
New C2 modem replaces major radio components
Both phones use Apple’s in-house N1 wireless chip, with support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. On cellular, Apple is debuting the C2 modem. Apple said it is the company’s most advanced modem yet, with updates to the baseband, transceiver, power amplifier, and software-defined radio.
Compared with the earlier C1X, Apple said the C2 provides plainly faster upload speeds and uses 15% less power. It also adds millimeter wave support in the United States. Apple said the A20 Pro, C2, and iOS were built together as an end-to-end system, letting AI algorithms improve connection reliability, including quicker reconnection in weak-signal areas.
Dynamic Island shrinks and shows up to three Live Activities
Dynamic Island has been reworked. Smaller, yes, but it can show more information, including up to three Live Activities at once. Face ID for unlocking, payment verification, and app sign-in stays the same.
Outside, Apple used aluminum matched to the color of the rear glass. The company said that gives the phone a more uniform appearance. The four color options are black, silver, glacier blue, and a new burgundy red. Display sizes are 6.3 inches on the iPhone 18 Pro and 6.9 inches on the Pro Max.
Taiwan pricing and storage options
Both phones start at 256GB and now reach 2TB, which is a new storage tier. Taiwan pricing breaks down like this:
| Storage | iPhone 18 Pro | iPhone 18 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|
| 256GB | NT$44,900 | NT$49,900 |
| 512GB | NT$51,900 | NT$56,900 |
| 1TB | NT$66,900 | NT$71,900 |
| 2TB | NT$88,900 | NT$93,900 |
Apple Taiwan said each customer can buy up to two iPhone 18 Pro units and two Pro Max units. The first pre-order wave covers more than 65 countries and regions, and another 20 markets join on Sept. 25.
Apple demos Monster Hunter Outlanders
The game shown during the event was Monster Hunter Outlanders, developed through a partnership between Tencent Games and Capcom. Apple said the title uses the A20 Pro’s 7-core GPU to render iOS-exclusive cinematic visuals, runs at up to 120 fps, and supports MetalFX upscaling and spatial audio. It is set to launch later this year.
Recycled materials account for 40%
Apple said recycled materials make up 40% of both devices. Battery cobalt is 100% recycled, aluminum in the chassis is 85% recycled, and the supply chain uses 50% renewable energy in manufacturing.
iOS 27 arrives Sept. 14, Siri AI launches first in English beta
iOS 27 will arrive as a free update on Sept. 14, U.S. West Coast time. Apple Intelligence supports 16 languages, including Traditional Chinese.
But Siri AI will launch in beta with iOS 27. Apple Taiwan’s website says, "Siri AI will launch first in English, and use may be subject to limitations." Server-based Apple Intelligence features will also come with daily usage caps, including Siri AI, smart photo editing tools, Image Playground, and cloud models used in Shortcuts. Apple said higher usage quotas will be offered later as a paid option.