The latest addition to Apple’s flagship line, the iPhone 18 Pro, lands alongside the company’s first foldable, the iPhone Duo. Priced from £1,199 (£100 higher than its predecessor), the device keeps the 6.3-inch form factor that most users recognize, yet it introduces enough hardware shifts to feel noteworthy. Apple’s strategy this year is to enhance core performance and endurance rather than overhaul the silhouette, delivering a phone that feels both fresh and comfortably familiar.
Visually, the iPhone 18 Pro retains the flat-edge aluminium chassis but now offers a back glass finish that mirrors the frame’s colour, with new shades such as Glacier, Burgundy and a deep midnight tone. The phone measures 150 × 71.9 × 8.75 mm and weighs 211 g, a modest 7 g increase over the iPhone 17 Pro. The display is a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR panel running at 120 Hz, delivering 460 ppi brightness, an anti-glare coating, and the ever-present Dynamic Island that now accommodates three live activities simultaneously.
Powerhouse performance and a longer charge
At the heart of the new device sits the A20 Pro processor, Apple’s first 2 nm silicon. Benchmarks show a 27 % uplift in CPU speed and a 45 % jump in GPU throughput compared with the previous A19 Pro. Two performance cores, a duo of efficiency cores, and a 32-core neural engine mean the phone can juggle intensive gaming, AI-driven tasks and everyday chores without throttling. Apple also enlarged the vapor-chamber cooling system threefold, allowing sustained peak performance for longer periods.
Battery life receives a noticeable boost: a full charge (using a 60 W USB-C charger) reaches 80 % in just 33 minutes and can hold up to two days of mixed usage. Real-world testing logged roughly six extra hours of screen-on time compared with the 17 Pro, translating to around 45 hours of video playback on the Pro Max variant. For most users, recharging every other night becomes the new norm.
Camera evolution: real variable aperture
The triple-camera array stays at 48 MP for the main, ultra-wide and 4× telephoto lenses, but Apple adds a genuine mechanical variable aperture to the primary sensor. The aperture can swing between f/1.5 and f/2.2, enabling faster shutter speeds in low-light scenes and creative effects such as starbursts when narrowed. Photographers can switch the aperture manually or let the system decide automatically, a first for iPhone hardware.
Both the ultra-wide (48 MP) and telephoto (48 MP with 4× optical zoom) lenses perform admirably, delivering sharp detail up to an 8× cropped zoom before digital zoom takes over. The front-facing camera is an 18 MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens, supporting Apple’s Center Stage feature. The Camera app now hosts customizable shortcuts for aperture, shutter speed and exposure, giving power users more direct control.
Software, sustainability and repairability
Shipping with iOS 27, the iPhone 18 Pro benefits from faster app launches, refined animations, and a revamped Siri AI powered by Google’s large-language models. Siri can now act as a contextual assistant within Spotlight, respond faster, and understand complex queries while letting users adjust voice speed and expressiveness. Integration is limited to Apple-first apps, meaning third-party services like WhatsApp or Gmail won’t trigger proactive suggestions.
Apple touts a greener footprint: over 40 % of the chassis uses recycled aluminium and glass, and the battery is rated for 1,000 charge cycles while retaining at least 80 % capacity. Battery replacement costs £119, and iFixit gave the device a 7/10 repairability score, noting that the screen replacement price is £349 out of warranty. Trade-in and free recycling programs remain available for both Apple and non-Apple devices.
The A20 Pro chip ensures the phone stays ahead of Android flagships for years, while the variable aperture introduces a genuine photography tool that enthusiasts will appreciate. Battery endurance finally matches the expectations set by the larger Pro Max model, and the refined Dynamic Island adds a subtle usability gain.
For users of the iPhone 17 Pro, the upgrade feels justified if the new camera mechanics, AI-enhanced Siri and extended battery life matter. Those on older iPhones will notice the performance jump instantly, but the £1,199 price tag may still give pause. In short, Apple delivers a flagship that refines rather than redefines, rewarding early adopters with tangible, everyday improvements.
