Apple iPhone 18 Pro review: major upgrades, modest everyday impact
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro adds the A20 Pro chip, longer battery life and a variable-aperture main camera. The review describes it as a refinement of last year’s model rather than a transformative upgrade.
Image: theguardian.com · Author: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/samuel-gibbs · source articleEditorial excerpt for news reporting
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro is the smaller of two new Pro models launched alongside the company’s first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. It starts at £1,199, a £100 increase over previous models.
The phone adds a faster processor, a redesigned cooling system and a battery rated for about six hours more use than the iPhone 17 Pro. The review reports roughly two days of battery life and more than six hours of active screen time.
A20 Pro and battery life
The A20 Pro chip is about 27% faster than the A19 Pro, with graphics performance up roughly 45%. The new cooling design is intended to sustain peak performance for longer, particularly during gaming.
The phone has a 6.3-inch 120Hz OLED display with 460 pixels per inch. A smaller Face ID cutout allows the Dynamic Island to show three ongoing activities instead of two.
Cameras and variable aperture
The rear camera system consists of three 48MP units: main, ultrawide and 4x telephoto. Its main addition is a variable aperture that can be automated or adjusted manually.
The wider aperture improves low-light shooting, while a narrower setting can create light effects and offer limited depth-of-field control. Because the sensor is small, however, the difference is minor in most photographs.
The camera also gains AI-powered focus tracking for moving subjects, extra texture and grain controls in Photographic Styles, and Reference Image, which can help establish a photo’s authenticity at pixel level. Regular video can be converted into a cinematic version after recording.
Siri and repairability
The iPhone 18 Pro runs iOS 27, released for the rest of the iPhone range on 14 September. The revamped Siri uses Google’s AI technologies, understands requests more effectively and can work with on-screen content, although some features require Apple’s own apps.
The battery is rated for more than 1,000 full-charge cycles while retaining at least 80% of its original capacity. Replacement costs £119 and an out-of-warranty screen repair costs £349; iFixit gave the phone a repairability score of seven out of 10.
The review concludes that the iPhone 18 Pro is among the best smaller smartphones and the best iPhone so far, but says the upgrade may feel limited for iPhone 17 owners.
What we know
- The iPhone 18 Pro uses the A20 Pro chip, with processing performance up about 27%.
- Battery life is around six hours longer than on the iPhone 17 Pro.
- The main camera adds a variable aperture, though its effect is limited in most shots.
- Pricing starts at £1,199.
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