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While the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are among Apple’s newest phones, they are the ones that don’t fold. Thankfully, a handful of upgrades, like a fancy new camera tool, will make photographers rejoice!
I tried the iPhone 18 Pro in a packed demo area in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park right after the company’s “Surprise and shine” event. Admittedly, it wasn’t the ideal environment for photographic testing. But I was later able to take some photos and videos using the new variable aperture, in a calmer setting that showed off its potential. I now understand what the “shine” in the event’s name referred to.
Think of a camera’s aperture like your eyelids. When your eyes are wide open, they let in more light. Under the bright sun, you squint to reduce the glare and see better. A variable aperture does the same for a camera lens. There are tiny blades that open and close to let more light onto the image sensor, or to reduce exposure in a bright scene.
Most phone cameras have a fixed aperture that can’t be adjusted. But the iPhone 18 Pro acts more like a dedicated camera, letting you stop it down for sharper images or, in dark environments, open the aperture wide to capture a brighter scene.
I was even able to achieve starbursts, thanks to the physical aperture blades. If there’s a bright light source in your shot, like string lights, you can stop the aperture down to add light peaks. The effect is caused by the way the aperture blades meet.
In terms of how it works, there’s an auto setting that lets the phone pick the best aperture. But you can also set it manually, choosing between four f-stops, which determine how wide the aperture’s opening is set.
The iPhone 18 Pro isn’t the first phone with a mechanical aperture. I remember shooting photos in 2018 with the Galaxy S9, which had a dual-aperture camera. Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra had a stepless aperture that let you stop anywhere between f/1.63 and f/4.0. The iPhone 18 Pro has fours stops: f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8, and f/4.0.
While I think professional photographers, filmmakers and other creative types will enjoy it most, a variable aperture isn’t enough of a reason for most people to buy an iPhone 18 Pro, especially if you’re just posting pics on social media. Just get the iPhone 17, especially since the iPhone 18 Pro now starts at $1,199 and the 18 Pro Max at $1,299, a $100 more than the 17 Pro and Pro Max from last year.
So what else did I think from my hands-on time with the new Apple phones?
The burgundy color looks magnificent in-person. It has a rich and sophisticated charm, forgoing the iPhone 17 Pro’s bold construction vest orange.
The iPhone 18 Pro in silver (left), burgundy, glacier and black.The Dynamic Island is slimmer, thanks to a wildly clever implementation of putting the FaceTime camera under the display. We’re still not at a full circle for the Dynamic Island, but it’s now closer in size to an ibuprofen tablet than the 17 Pro’s longer, slender oval.
The batteries on both Pro models are larger, with the SIM card tray models of the iPhone 18 Pro at 4,056 mAh and the 18 Pro Max at 5,391 mAh, according to Apple’s site in Ireland. (Thanks, EU, for Apple requiring energy labels!). While US models are only eSIM, Apple fills the space normally used by a SIM card tray with more battery. By contrast, SIM card tray versions of the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max have 3,988 mAh and 4,823 mAh, respectively.
It will be curious to see how those increased capacities offset power-hungry Siri AI features and operating that variable aperture. The 18 Pro and Pro Max are powered by a new A20 Pro chip, which Apple says brings efficiency gains to offset battery drain.
I look forward to testing the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, once I can get them. You can preorder the new Pro iPhones starting Saturday, Sept. 12 and they’ll be in stores starting Friday, Sept. 18.
Patrick Holland
Director of Content
As Director of Content, Hardware, I lead CNET's team of journalists and editors, covering news and testing on smartphones, laptops, wireless carriers, AI, and pretty much anything with a battery. See full bio
