Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max last week, arriving two years after the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Skipping a generation means a bigger upgrade, with more than 50 differences between the 2024 and 2026 models.
Most of the visible changes came in between, with the iPhone 17 Pro replacing the titanium frame and glass back with an aluminum unibody and Ceramic Shield 2, adding vapor chamber cooling and improving both the telephoto and front-facing cameras. This year’s update is largely focused on internal changes, centered around the A20 Pro chip, a variable aperture main camera, a smaller dynamic island, and a battery capacity increase that delivers the largest increase in battery life in iPhone history. For iPhone 16 Pro owners, the two sets of changes overlap.
The iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 for 256GB, which is $200 more than the iPhone 16 Pro’s $999 launch price, although the entry level of storage has doubled from 128GB. Apple no longer sells the iPhone 16 Pro directly, so any comparison now involves either a device you already own or one third party list. Here’s everything that’s different between the iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro:
Design and display
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 18 Pro (2026) |
|---|---|
| Titanium frame with full glass back | One-piece aluminum body with partial ceramic back |
| 8.25mm thickness | 8.75mm thickness |
| Rounded square glass camera bump | Full-width rounded rectangular aluminum camera tray |
| Front of ceramic shield | Ceramic Shield 2 front panel with 3x better scratch resistance |
| Fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating only | Anti-glare screen coating designed by Apple to reduce glare |
| Maximum screen brightness of 2,000 nits (outdoor) | Maximum screen brightness of 3,000 nits (outdoor) |
| Exterior contrast 2x better | |
| Dynamic Island supports up to two simultaneous live activities | A smaller Dynamic Island supports up to three simultaneous live activities |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Weighs 7.03 ounces (199 grams) iPhone 16 Pro Max: Weighs 7.99 ounces (227 grams) |
iPhone 18 Pro: Weighs 7.44 ounces (211 grams) iPhone 18 Pro Max: Weighs 8.78 ounces (249 grams) |
| Available in white, black, natural and desert | Available in silver, black, glacier and burgundy |
Chip, performance and connectivity
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 18 Pro (2026) |
|---|---|
| A18 Pro chip | A20 Pro chip |
| Built with TSMC’s N3E process (3nm) | Built with TSMC’s N2 process (2nm), Apple’s first 2nm smartphone chip |
| 6-core processor with 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores | 6-core processor with 2 super cores and 4 efficient cores |
| 60 GB/s memory bandwidth | ~115 GB/s memory bandwidth |
| 8 GB of RAM | 12 GB of RAM |
| 6-core GPU | 7-core GPU with neural accelerators |
| 16-core neural engine | Dual 16-core neural engine (32 cores total) |
| Vapor chamber cooling with 3x more surface area than iPhone 17 Pro | |
| New chip package that places a silicon die next to the memory, allowing it to attach directly to the vapor chamber | |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon X71 Modem | iPhone 18 Pro: Apple C2 modem in all countries iPhone 18 Pro Max: Apple C2 modem in all countries except the United States, where it uses a Qualcomm modem |
| Broadcom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip | Apple N1 chip for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Thread |
| Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity | Bluetooth 6 connectivity |
Rear camera
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 18 Pro (2026) |
|---|---|
| 12-megapixel telephoto camera | 48-megapixel Fusion telephoto camera |
| 0.5x, 1x, 2x and 5x optical zoom options | Optical zoom options 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x |
| Fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture on 48-megapixel Fusion main camera | 48-megapixel Fusion main camera with variable aperture with four values: ƒ/1.48, ƒ/1.8, ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/4.0, using six laser-cut blades |
| API available for developers to control aperture range in their own applications | |
| Faster Night Mode, linked to the new variable aperture lens | |
| Professional controls in the Camera app: manual lens aperture, shutter speed, white balance and histogram | |
| New sensor and computational imaging pipeline on the main Fusion camera, delivering approximately 50% better low-light performance and more detail on the back of group shots. | |
| 2 photographic styles, tone and color adjustment | 3 Photographic Styles, adding texture and grain controls alongside tone and color |
| Intelligent focus tracking | |
| Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps | Cinematic mode recording up to 4K Dolby Vision at 60 fps |
| Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture, on video shot at up to 60 fps | |
| Improved low-light video | |
| Accelerated video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision | |
| Apple reference image (main camera only) | |
| Audio mixing | Audio mixing with new algorithms for higher quality vocals and the ability to isolate music |
| Support for ProRes RAW capture | |
| Genlock support |
Front camera
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 18 Pro (2026) |
|---|---|
| 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera | 18-megapixel TrueDepth camera |
| Tap to zoom | Tap to zoom and rotate |
| At the center of the stage | |
| Ultra-stabilized video | |
| Dual Capture (up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30fps) | |
| 2 photographic styles, tone and color adjustment | 3 Photographic Styles, adding texture and grain controls alongside tone and color |
| Intelligent focus tracking | |
| Cinematic mode effects can be applied after capture | |
| Improved low-light video | |
| Accelerated video recording with stabilization, up to 4K Dolby Vision |
Battery and charging
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 18 Pro (2026) |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro: 3,582 mAh battery iPhone 16 Pro Max: 4,685 mAh battery |
iPhone 18 Pro: 4,056 mAh battery iPhone 18 Pro Max: 5,391 mAh battery |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 27 hours of video playback iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 33 hours of video playback |
iPhone 18 Pro: Up to 36 hours of video playback iPhone 18 Pro Max: Up to 45 hours of video playback |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W or higher adapter iPhone 16 Pro Max: Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes with 20W or higher adapter |
Up to 50% charge in about 15 minutes with a compatible 60W adapter |
| iPhone 16 Pro: MagSafe wireless charging up to 22W with a 30W adapter or higher iPhone 16 Pro Max: MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W with 30W adapter or higher |
MagSafe wireless charging up to 25W, reaching 50% charge in 30 minutes with a 35W or higher adapter |
Storage and pricing
| iPhone 16 Pro (2024) | iPhone 18 Pro (2026) |
|---|---|
| iPhone 16 Pro: Available with 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of storage iPhone 16 Pro Max: Available with 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of storage |
Available with 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB storage |
| iPhone 16 Pro: Launched at $999 (128 GB), $1,099 (256 GB), $1,299 (512 GB), $1,499 (1 TB) iPhone 16 Pro Max: Launched at $1,199 (256 GB), $1,399 (512 GB), $1,599 (1 TB) |
iPhone 18 Pro: $1,199 (256 GB), $1,399 (512 GB), $1,799 (1 TB), $2,399 (2 TB) iPhone 18 Pro Max: $1,299 (256 GB), $1,499 (512 GB), $1,899 (1 TB), $2,499 (2 TB) |
| Now discontinued, only available through third parties | iPhone 18 Pro: Sold directly by Apple, starting at $49.95 per month for 24 months via Apple Upgrade iPhone 18 Pro Max: Sold directly by Apple, starting at $54.12 per month for 24 months via Apple Upgrade |
Which one to choose?
For iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max owners, the iPhone 18 Pro is a worthwhile upgrade and a much easier recommendation than for anyone coming over from last year’s model. Two generations of changes pile up, affecting almost every part of the device: an all-new aluminum unibody with Ceramic Shield 2 and three times better scratch resistance, a screen that’s 50% brighter outdoors at 3,000 nits and features an anti-glare coating that the iPhone 16 Pro completely lacks, and a battery that runs for 36 hours instead of 27, going from 33 hours to 45 hours on the Pro Max. The load changed dramatically from 50% in 30 minutes to 50% in about 15 minutes.
The differences between the cameras are also major. The telephoto camera goes from 12 megapixels to 5x to 48 megapixels with 4x and 8x optical options, the front camera goes from 12 megapixels to 18 megapixels and gains center stage and ultra-stabilized video, and the main camera trades its fixed ƒ/1.78 aperture for a four-speed variable aperture ranging from ƒ/1.48 to ƒ/4.0. Add in ProRes RAW, Genlock, Dual Capture, 60fps Cinematic mode, and Pro manual controls, and the iPhone 18 Pro is a noticeably different camera system.
Performance is the other argument for upgrading, especially if you’ve noticed a throttling in your iPhone 16 Pro. The A20 Pro upgrades to a 2nm process, gains a seventh GPU core with neural accelerators, and doubles the neural engine to 32 cores, while the vapor chamber that the iPhone 16 Pro completely lacks is now in its second generation. If you play demanding games, shoot long video clips, or plan to rely on the device’s Apple Intelligence features for several more years, the additional 4GB of RAM and doubled Neural Engine make the iPhone 18 Pro the most upgradeable purchase.
That being said, the price has moved against you. The iPhone 18 Pro costs $200 more than the iPhone 16 Pro at launch, even taking into account the doubled 256GB entry tier, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max costs $100 more than its equivalent. The iPhone 18 Pro Max also weighs 22 grams more than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which is noticeable in the hand, although it gives you the biggest battery saving Apple has ever offered on an iPhone and the option of a 2TB device.
A notable exception occurs if you’re upgrading primarily for design, telephoto, or battery. Almost all of these improvements arrived with the iPhone 17 Pro rather than this year’s model, so an iPhone 17 Pro purchased from a third-party retailer at a deep discount will get you there most of the time for a lot less money. The real exclusives of the iPhone 18 Pro compared to this model are the variable aperture and Pro controls, the C2 modem, the smaller “Dynamic Island” and around three hours more battery life. If none of that interests you, last year’s model is the best value.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max opened on Saturday, September 12 and will be available starting Friday, September 18.
