iPhone 18 | Source: gsmarena
 

Apple's smaller Pro iPhone for 2026 looks familiar but has a lot of new technology inside. It has a chip, much longer battery life and a smarter Siri. It's also the iPhone with a camera aperture that physically opens and closes. It starts at £1,199 (€1,449/$1,199/A$2,099), £100 more than last year. The Guardian's Samuel Gibbs blames rising memory prices, which he calls "RAMageddon."

Specifications

• Screen: 6.3in Super Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)

• Processor: Apple A20 Pro

• RAM: 12GB

• Storage: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB

• Operating system: iOS 27

• Camera: 48MP + 48MP UW + 48MP 4x, 18MP front-facing

• Connectivity: 5G, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 6, Thread, USB-C, Satellite, UWB and GNSS

• Water resistance: IP68 (6 metres for 30 mins)

• Dimensions: 150 x 71.9 x 8.75mm

• Weight: 211g

 iPhone 18 colours  | Source: gsmarena

Available colours

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max is available in four colour finishes: 

• Glacier (cool, light blue-hued shade)

• Silver (classic clean metallic finish)

• Black (stealthy, dark matte finish) 

• Burgundy (deep, wine-toned flagship signature shade)

Design & Screen

The body barely changes. It's 7g heavier at 211g, and the back glass now matches the colour of the aluminium frame. A smaller Face ID cutout lets the Dynamic Island show three tasks instead of two. The 6.3in 120Hz OLED screen is one of the best on any phone, and a new anti-glare coating makes it easier to read

Performance & Battery

The A20 Pro chip is 27% faster than last year's with roughly 45% faster graphics. Better cooling also keeps it at speed for longer. You'll barely notice the extra speed day to day because iPhones were already quick. The battery is where you'll see the difference. It lasts six hours longer than the iPhone 17 Pro and often gets close to two days. In the Guardians' testing, it still had 40% left after days. 

Siri finally grows up

iOS 27 brings Siri AI, an assistant that uses Google's AI technology. It understands requests better and talks less than rival chatbots. It can see what's on your screen. You can call it up with the side button or from Spotlight search. Its smart suggestions only work with Apple's apps,  so they won't help if you use WhatsApp or Gmail. The new Siri also isn't available in the EU yet.

The camera

  physical variable-aperture camera module | Source: gsmarena

The three 48MP rear cameras return, and the main one now has an aperture from f/1.48 to f/4.0. A wider opening speeds up night. Cuts blur. A narrower one turns street lights into starbursts. Because the sensor is small, the change in background blur is subtle. Gibbs's favourite new feature is actually focus tracking, which keeps moving children and pets sharp.

Verdict

Gibbs calls the iPhone 18 Pro "without doubt the best iPhone ever made" and one of the small phones you can buy. It's still an upgrade: each improvement is modest, on its own, though together they add up. If your iPhone is years old, you'll notice the difference in every aspect. If you have a 17 Pro, you'll mostly notice the price increase.