Apple iPhone 18 Pro - So Much More Than Just a Placeholder

Well, there's no doubt this is one of those years Apple will steal the bulk of the limelight in the tech world with its launch of the Duo, the first folding iPhone.

As usual, although folding phones have been around for years, for many people - especially those embedded deeply in the Apple ecosystem - a foldable iPhone will be the first example of this form-factor a lot of people have ever used or seen.

All well and good and very exciting. But despite being launched a couple of weeks ago, we still have a couple of weeks to wait before it's out.

So what are we going to talk about in the meantime?

The "Surprise and Shine" launch event at the beginning of the month was different. In recent years, we've seen Apple launch four handsets around this time of year; usually the base model iPhone, a Pro version and a larger Pro Max - along with another option. Sometimes a Mini, sometimes a bigger base model or then last year, the very impressive iPhone Air.

But this time, other than the Duo, there was no "vanilla" iPhone at all - just the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.

For some reason, the plain old iPhone 18 won't be out till Autumn, 2027 our time, perhaps alongside a more entry-level "e" version and maybe even a next-gen Air.

So all I can really tell you about right now is the iPhone 18 Pro. 

To be honest, initially I was disappointed. With the colour.

I was hoping my review handset would be the "hero" Burgundy variant. Alas, I got sent a silver one. At least I didn't get black. Although the light-blue Glacier option looks good too.

Actually, the 2026 design is appealing in any of those four colours. The heat-forged aluminium unibody does a much better job of incorporating the prominent camera module that now sweeps up and out with a sexy curve, instead of looking like a random, thick piece of glass that's just been superglued on as we've seen from handsets with multi-sensor cameras in the past.

There's a Ceramic Shield glass MagSafe panel on the back, perfectly colour-matched of course, while the display is protected by even tougher Ceramic Shield 2. Me being me, I've dropped this phone a few times since I've been using it; in the car, at my desk, while cooking - you know, the usual - and it doesn't seem to be exhibiting even the slightest scratch, dent or scuff.

I should probably put it in the MagSafe case I was sent to go with it - but it just feels so nice to hold without it. This year, Apple also has added to its selection of cross body straps with wrist straps of a similar design - quite useful if you're planning on using your iPhone 18 Pro to do something adventurous, like ziplining perhaps.

Why did I automatically suggest ziplining? Because the last time I did it, I was too scared to get my phone out in case I dropped it into the dense Fijian rainforest, many metres below. A wrist or crossbody strap would have solved that problem quite elegantly.

Which is a shame, as the iPhone 18 Pro has, of course, Apple's finest camera array yet. The claim is this phone essentially puts "eight pro lenses in your pocket." This is a bit of a stretch but what is technically true is the Fusion Main, Fusion Ultra Wide and Fusion Telephoto sensors are each 48MP, which means total consistency between focal lengths in terms of colour, contrast and clarity.

But the headline here is the new rotor system that physically changes the aperture between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. If you (like me) don't really know what that means, don't stress, Apple's "advanced intelligence" will automatically decide which aperture to use, based on your subject, the lighting conditions and the distances involved. 

On the other hand, if you are a smarty-pants photographic pro, manual aperture adjustment is just a swipe away. Here's a photo I took the other night at f/2.8...

And the same shot at f/1.48...

If you look very carefully, you'll see a bit more detail of Jerry's fur in the approaching twilight conditions.

Another useful addition to the iPhone 18 Pro's box of camera tricks is smart focus tracking. Yes, this is something I've seen on certain other phones previously; while filming, you can tap on a person or object and lock the focal point on them/it as they move around. This phone takes it a step further; using its on-device machine learning abilities (more AI) it can snap back into focus even if the subject moves off screen and comes back. Pretty clever.

For all its AI smarts and clever camera trickery, the iPhone 18 Pro does have some limitations. I've seen some huge advances in zoom technology with certain flagship phones in recent years and I'm not sure Apple is quite there yet. This shot of Mother Paradise Duck and her multitudinous brood was taken from about 30 metres away. I thought it might have come out a bit clearer.

Battery life is also really, really good. But not unbelievable. This is another one of those areas where ardent iPhone loyalists will be quite blown away if they're upgrading from a 13 or 14 series device. And don't get me wrong - you might even squeeze two days out of the 18 Pro at a push, and you definitely will with the 18 Pro Max's bigger power cell. But I've experienced quite startling battery performance from quite a few other phones, and not all of them high-end flagships like this one.

Meanwhile, there are other genuinely impressive features of note. 

Every iPhone Pro always boasts a stunning advance in chip technology and the A20 Pro running this handset is no exception. The CPU is faster. The GPU is faster. And most importantly, the Neural Engine is faster. So whether you want to call it AI, Apple Intelligence, advanced intelligence or machine learning - it happens a lot more smoothly on this year's Pro.

A cooler chip is a more efficient chip and a cooler battery lasts longer - not just between charges but over its lifespan too. So don't underestimate the impact if the 18 Pro's new thermal management system, combining a vapour chamber, graphite, the aluminium of the phone's own chassis and even some kind of copper plate that draws heat away from the display as well.

And I can't fault the advances in connectivity either. Apple's own N1 wireless chip means I've recorded Wi-Fi 7 speeds at home of more than 1.1Gbps. The bluetooth connection with the AirPods 5 I'll be reviewing in the coming days is the strongest, most reliable connection of any AirPods I've tested. And the inclusion of the Thread wireless protocol means Siri is now my go-to home assistant when it comes to things like opening and closing my garage door and turning off my bedside light at night.

This time last year, the ultra-thin iPhone Air drew some of the attention away from the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, even though it couldn't touch them in key areas like camera and battery performance. Sure was a cool phone though.

And the Duo might do the same thing this year, but at least the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have a few weeks head start this time. No, the iPhone 18 Pro doesn't fold - but that's about the only thing it can't do. I have a sneaking suspicion once I've tried the Duo in real life, I might end up coming back to the Pro - certainly for its sensational photographic abilities if nothing else. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 18 Pro.