Apple launches iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max with upgraded camera and battery
Apple's new iPhone 18 Pro starts at $1,199 and the iPhone 18 Pro Max at $1,299, both featuring a variable-aperture main camera, the A20 Pro chip and larger batteries, with the Max model offering a bigger display and longer video playback.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, positioning them as the most feature-rich traditional iPhones after the foldable iPhone Duo entered the top of the lineup. Both models retain the OLED Super Retina XDR always-on display with ProMotion, Dynamic Island, 5G, and a 48-megapixel Pro Fusion camera system, and are powered by the new A20 Pro chip. They are offered in four colors and four storage options, including a 2 TB tier now available on the smaller Pro model.
The iPhone 18 Pro is priced from $1,199, while the Pro Max starts at $1,299, each $100 higher than the previous generation. The price gap widens at higher storage levels, with the 2 TB Pro Max reaching $2,499. Physical dimensions differ: the Pro measures 5.91 inches tall, 2.83 inches wide and weighs 7.44 oz, whereas the Pro Max is 6.43 inches tall, 3.07 inches wide and weighs 8.78 oz. Display sizes are 6.3 inches (2622 × 1206 px) for the Pro and 6.9 inches (2868 × 1320 px) for the Max.
Battery capacity also varies, with the Pro housing a 4,056 mAh cell and the Pro Max a 5,391 mAh cell, translating to up to 36-hour video playback on the Pro versus 45-hour on the Max, and up to 33-hour streamed video versus 40-hour respectively. European energy labels confirm these capacities for SIM-tray models; eSIM-only units sold in the United States have slightly larger cells.
Modem configurations differ by market: the iPhone 18 Pro uses Apple’s C2 modem worldwide, while the Pro Max employs the C2 outside the U.S. and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 modem in the United States. Both modems support sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G, with Apple claiming the C2 is more energy-efficient than its predecessor.
"The most important decision point when choosing between the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max is screen size, but comfort, pocketability, weight, battery life, and now the modem are also important considerations," a product analyst noted.
Consumers are advised to weigh the larger display, heavier weight, and longer battery life of the Pro Max against its higher price and the loss of Apple’s own modem in the U.S., while the Pro offers a more compact form factor and retains the C2 modem across all regions.