iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Are Official: A20 Pro, Variable Aperture, $100 Price Hike

Apple's first 2nm chip and a 48MP main camera with an adjustable aperture headline the new Pro models, which start at $1,199 and $1,299 in the US and ₹1,64,900 and ₹1,79,900 in India.

Pravin KankanePublished 10 September 2026Updated 26 October 20264 min read

Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max at its "Surprise and Shine" event in Cupertino on September 9. Both start $100 higher than last year's iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and both use the first Apple chip built on a 2nm process (Apple Newsroom, TidBITS).

The A20 Pro

The A20 Pro is built on TSMC's 2nm process with a six-core CPU and a seven-core GPU that Apple says is up to 40% faster than the previous generation, plus 50% more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro (MySmartPrice). Apple presents it as being about efficiency and sustained performance under load rather than raw clock speed, with a stronger Neural Engine for on-device Apple Intelligence and a redesigned thermal system meant to reduce throttling during long camera or gaming sessions, a problem reviewers have flagged on past Pro models (Interesting Engineering).

That matters because every iPhone since the A17 Pro has leaned harder on on-device AI. Siri AI handles many requests on the device and sends heavier ones to Apple's Private Cloud Compute, so a faster, cooler chip helps more of that work feel instant.

The camera's biggest change in years

The 48MP Fusion main camera gains an adjustable aperture, a first for iPhone. Reports describe six laser-cut blades with four aperture settings and a range of about f/1.4 to f/4. Wider apertures let in more light for shallow-depth shots, and narrower ones keep more of a scene sharp without software tricks. Dedicated cameras have offered this for decades; pairing it with Apple's computational photography is a real step.

The Dynamic Island is smaller, freeing screen space while keeping Face ID and the front camera underneath. Apple rates the Pro Max at up to 45 hours of video playback for eSIM-only models; its "typical use" rating is up to 30 hours.

Spec	iPhone 18 Pro	iPhone 18 Pro Max
Chip	A20 Pro (2nm, 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU)	A20 Pro (2nm, 6-core CPU, 7-core GPU)
Main camera	48MP Fusion, adjustable aperture	48MP Fusion, adjustable aperture
Video playback (eSIM-only)	Up to 36 hours	Up to 45 hours
Storage	256GB to 2TB	256GB to 2TB
US price (256GB)	$1,199	$1,299
India price (256GB)	₹1,64,900	₹1,79,900

Both come with 256GB to a new 2TB tier, in four colours including a new Burgundy.

India

India was in the first wave, with pre-orders from September 12 and sales from September 18, the same week as the US and UK. That puts Indian buyers level with the main launch markets, helped by Apple's growing manufacturing base in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where many of these Pro units are assembled. In India, the 512GB models cost ₹1,89,900 (Pro) and ₹2,04,900 (Pro Max), and 2TB models reach ₹3,14,900 and ₹3,29,900.

What to watch next

Apple also confirmed the iPhone Duo, its first foldable, for October, and the event was John Ternus's first keynote as CEO. iOS 27 arrived as a free update on September 14. Reviews will show whether the variable aperture camera and the A20 Pro's efficiency claims hold up in daily use.